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HOME CRAFTS 

OF TO DAY AND 

YF<>TFRDAY 






Class _ITj^l 
Book 3iL_„ 



Copyright^ . 



COPYRIGHT BEFOSKi 



'•- 



v HARPER'S HOME ECONOMICS 

EDITED BY 

Isabel Ely Lord 

DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE 
AND ARTS, PRATT INSTITUTE 

HOME CRAFTS OF TODAY AND YESTERDAY. By 
Florence Buchanan, Instructor in Handiwork, School 
of Household Science and Art, Pratt Institute. 

HOW TO COOK AND WHY. By Elizabeth Condit, 
Assistant Supervisor in Household Science, and Jessie 
A. Long, Instructor in Cookery, Pratt Institute. 

PLANNING AND FURNISHING THE HOME. By Mary 
J. Quinn, Instructor in Design, School of Household 
Science and Arts, Pratt Institute. 

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S HANDBOOK OF CLEANING. 
By Sarah J. MacLeod, Instructor in Care of House, 
School of Household Science and Arts, Pratt Institute. 

Each Volume 16mo, Cloth 



HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK 




HOME CRAFTS IN CURTAIN, CHAIR, AND RUG 



/ 



HOME CRAFTS 

OF TODAY AND 
YESTERDAY 



BY 

FLORENCE BUCHANAN 

INSTRUCTOR IN HANDWORK 

SCHOOL OF HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE AND ARTS 

PRATT INSTITUTE 



ILLUSTRATED 



J 







HARPER y BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 



c *py z 






CO 




JUN 1 1 I9I7 






Home Crafts of To-day .y--::> Yesterday 



Copyright, 191 7, by Harper & Brothers 

Printed in the United States of America 

Published June, 1917 

©CI.A487387 I ^ 



CONTENTS 



CHAP. PAGE 

Editor's Introduction xi 

Preface xiii 

I. The Home Sewing-room i 

II. Sewing-room Substitutes ....... 7 

III. Buying Household Linens 14 

IV. Making and Marking Linens .... 26 

V. Mending Linens and Uses for Old Linens 41 

VI. Finishes for Lingerie 52 

VII. Macrame Knotting and Netting ... 60 

VIII. From Rushes to Chair Seats .... 70 

IX. Caning Chairs and Other Uses for Cane 76 

X. Basket-planning in General .... 84 

XL Useful Baskets of Reed, Cane, and 

Grasses 91 

XII. Coloring Baskets with Commercial and 

Home-brewed Dyes 113 

XIII. Preparing and Dyeing Materials for 

Rugs 120 

XIV. Rugs Braided, Crocheted, and Hooked . 130 

XV. How to Make Simple Looms and What to 

Weave on Them 135 

XVI. With Bruse and Paint 144 

XVII. Batik Dyeing 156 

Index 165 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Home Crafts in Curtain, Chair, and Rug Frontispiece 

A Practical Ironing Equipment for the 
Sewing-room. The Hinged Board Is 
an Economy of Space and Time . . Facing p. 4 

A Sampler That Shows How Simple Stitch- 
ery May Be Used for Marking House- 
hold Linens " 28 

The Two Points Indicate the Second 

Position of the Needle page 31 

The Stitch Must Be Done with Heavy 

Thread " 31 

A. First Position of the Needle ... M 32 

B. Second Position of the Needle . . M 32 
Italian Hemstitching, Showing Two Po- 
sitions of the Needle " 34 

A Napery Hem With the Needle in Hem- 
ming Position " 37 

Diagram for a Mitered Corner. Cut on 
the Dotted Line, Then Fold Down 
Hem on the Solid Lines. Turn Un- 
der Raw Edges One-eighth Inch . tl 38 

Diagram for a Square Corner. Crease 
on the Solid Lines, Cut Away Sur- 
plus Material at the Corner, and 
Then Fold Down the Hems .... ' ' 38 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Needle in Position for Fine Drawing. 
When the Material Is Weak Darn 

Beyond Each Stitch Page 51 

Decorative Stitches for Joining Seams " 54 
An Effective Edge That Is Easily Made ' ' 55 
Needle in Position for Making the Bar 
in the Venetian Ladder Stitch Work 

with Blunt End First 57 

This Shows the Band of Meshing with 
the Band of Macrame Below It. A 
Second Band of Meshing Must Be 
Worked to Complete the Width of 

the Insertion 61 

Each Cord That Is Cast On Makes Two 
Working Ends. The Two Beads 
Forming One Macrame Knot Are 
Shown on the Second Foundation 

Cord " 62 

Knot Used for the Meshing as Well as 

for the Bar 64 

Eighteenth-century Italian Macrame, 

with Simple, Well-spaced Pattern . Facing p. 66 
Showing How the Trefoil Knot Is Started Page 67 
A Convenient Way to Shape a Band Made 

from Trefoil Knot 67 

A Simple Tassel with a Three-petal Cap 
Made of Knotted Cord. The Small 
Diagram Shows How Each Petal Is 

Made " 68 

Rushing — the Start " 73 

Filling in the Center " 73 

The Diagonals Must Slip Close Against 
the Little Squares Formed by the 
First Four Layers of Cane , . , 80 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



A Useful Basket of Reed Facing p. 

Star-center Diagram Page 

A and B Represent the Temporary Tyings 
That Hold the Two Bundles of Six 
Spokes Each 

Triple Weave 

The Wrapped Start of a Coiled Basket 

Needle in Position for the First Stitch 
in the Coil 

A Bag Loom 

A Piece of Coptic Weaving That Shows 
Clearly How a Pattern May Be 
Woven In and the Background 
Woven Around It Facing p. 

Round Wooden Cheese-boxes Are Easier 
to Procure and Quite as Attractive 
as These when Decorated .... " 

This Paper Shade Has a Cut-out Pattern, 
and the Silk Lining That Shows 
Through Is Touched with Color . 

This Is What May Be Done with an Or- 
dinary Cardboard Hat-box .... 



92 
97 



101 
103 
109 

109 
137 



140 



146 



152 



152 



EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION 

THIS book is meant for the woman who likes 
to do constructive work in "odd moments." 
There are books giving careful directions and 
patterns for work of special types — crocheting, 
knitting, basketry — but there seems to be a 
place for the book that will suggest a number 
of varying uses of odd time. The directions are 
accurate and clear as far as they are given, but 
they are rather general than detailed. 

The name "Home Crafts" was chosen with 
some hesitation, as it seems a little ambitious, 
but no other word could be found that suggested 
at the same time care in technique and due con- 
sideration of beauty. 

The duties of the average housewife cannot be 
arranged so that there will not be a good many 
comparatively short intervals between tasks, 
when head and hands are idle unless something 
is planned to occupy them. Sometimes these in- 
tervals are long enough for some worth-while 
reading or study, but many times they are not 
easy to use in this way. Sometimes one can use 
them for relaxation and real rest, but not al- 



EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION 

ways. Something is cooking that will need at- 
tention in ten minutes, luncheon is ready and the 
children are five minutes late, a neighbor comes 
in to "sit awhile." It is easy to let these mo- 
ments go, but it is easy also to use them for 
making something at once useful and beautiful, 
at a very small expenditure of money. 

Of course one cannot do dyeing in odd mo- 
ments, or chair-rushing or painting, but one can 
prepare material for dyeing, get it ready for rugs, 
do a bit of caning or a little at basketry, pick 
up a trimming that is in process, or mark a piece 
of linen, and by the nice planning of time one 
can make a longer space for the constructive 
work that needs it. 

Americans are said to be the most restless of 
all nations, and they uneasily confess that there 
is some truth in the accusation. But one can 
so easily be busy without being "in a stew" 
about it, and one can so easily be idle and yet 
restlessly nervous. Constructive things worth 
making — things of actual use and that answer 
a definite need — should help to cultivate poise 
and calm. Where these have been attained the 
thrifty use of odd moments can have no draw- 
back. 

Isabel Ely Lord, 
Director of the School of House- 
hold Science and Arts. 

Pratt Institute, 191 7. 



PREFACE 

THERE is hardly a woman who does not do 
some form of handiwork well. And with 
fingers that are skilled in one craft she can soon 
acquire an equal skill in another, whether with 
thread, rattan, or paint-brush. It is only the 
mystery and uncertainty clinging about the un- 
tried that prevents her from making the initial 
attack. 

"Oh, but I wouldn't know how to begin/ ' 
thinks the woman who perhaps sews or crochets, 
but hesitates to try anything that seems so en- 
tirely foreign to her art as basketry, or weaving, 
or decorating with dye and paint. And she is 
quite right. She probably would not know how 
to begin. The start is always the hardest part 
of a new piece of work, even if one has a vision 
of exactly what the result must be. Of course, 
not alone the technical beginning, but what ma- 
terials to get and where to find them, the amount 
that will be needed, and making the working 
plans — all these must be counted in as part of 
the start. They are usually the important part. 
The right material saves effort in construction; 



PREFACE 

knowing where to seek it is a saving of time and 
usually of money as well. And an accurate plan 
is the only way to achieve successful results with- 
out a large by-product of mistakes. 

The woman who longs to try something new 
but feels a bit vague about beginning will find 
the what, the where, and the how for a variety 
of crafts in the following chapters. Emphasis is 
placed on the start rather than on detailing the 
technical processes, but enough of the latter is 
always given along with explanatory diagrams to 
guide a beginner through the piece of work. 

For the woman who lives in a small town or 
in the country, where it is not always possible 
to get materials for every craft, there are chap- 
ters telling about handwork for which she may 
gather materials in woods and fields or even in 
her own garden. Directions for the preparing 
and drying of the home-gathered materials are 
given, as well as suggestions of where and how to 
use them. The woman who lives out of town 
and has always sent her chairs away to be re- 
seated will find the chapters on caning and rush- 
ing particularly applicable to her needs, although 
reseating chairs at home is an economy whether 
one lives in the city or country. 

Other chapters recognize the space limitations 
of the city home-maker. In these she may get 
suggestions of how to do with small spaces and 
what one can do in them. 

But the majority of the chapters are about 



PREFACE 

handwork that every woman will find it possible 

to do, whether she lives in town or country, and 

no matter what her mood — to ply the needle, 

weave a web, or play in color with brush and dye. 

Florence Buchanan. 
Pratt Institute, 191 7. 



HOME CRAFTS 



HOME CRAFTS 



THE HOME SEWING-ROOM 

THE architect who must repeat in the small 
house the modern improvements of its more 
roomy neighbor will not readily part with any 
of the precious floor space for a special sewing- 
room. He may suggest that the sewing-machine 
be kept at one end of the up-stairs hall, under 
the window, or in the linen-closet, or even in the 
guest-room! So the mistress of the new home 
that is to be must stand guard over part of the 
house plan for a sewing-room. She alone fully 
realizes the attending muss of every little sewing, 
how hard it is to keep threads from traveling, 
and how much harder it is to get them up from 
a rug or carpet. This may be the day of ready- 
made clothing, but we still have with us the 
skirt that needs a new facing or the blouse of last 
season that must be remodeled, and the house- 
hold in which there are growing children is never 



2 HOME CRAFTS 

without the problem of letting out tucks and 
waistbands or taking them in for the next 
youngest. This is not the "sit on a cushion and 
sew a fine seam" kind of work, but requires pat- 
terns and cutting space, a form on which to fit, 
and means of pressing. In short, more equip- 
ment is needed than just a sewing-machine. 

If, however, a separate sewing-room is quite 
impossible, usually the case in a city apartment 
where there is neither hall-room nor guest-room, 
a definite place at least can be set apart from one 
of the other rooms. Possibilities for that kind 
of a sewing-room substitute will be spoken of in 
the next chapter. 

The equipment for a real sewing-room can 
be made at home with comparatively little out- 
lay of money. A special ironing-board is not a 
necessity, but a most desirable convenience if 
there is the possibility of heating irons in the 
room. It will save steps and probable interfer- 
ence with other activities in laundry or kitchen. 
But the board should be ready for use with as 
little disturbance as possible in the sewing-room. 

The illustration shows a five-foot board hinged 
by its broad end to a wooden strip fastened to 
the wall at the required height. The standard is 
made in two sections. The outer section is a 
four-foot length of gas-pipe one inch in diameter, 
with one end flattened and riveted to a three- 
inch-long hinge. By means of this hinge the 
pipe is screwed to the floor near the wall. The 



THE HOME SEWING-ROOM 3 

inner section of the standard is a solid rod thirty 
inches long and one-half inch in diameter. One 
end of this rod slides into the pipe, and the other 
end is also flattened and riveted to a three-inch- 
long hinge by means of which the rod is screwed 
to the ironing-board fifteen inches below the nar- 
row end. 

When the board is not in use it can be folded 
up against the wall, where a bolt holds it in place. 
When needed, it can easily be let down. The 
iron rod slides part way from the pipe and the 
two sections form a supporting arm or bracket. 
This kind of a standard does not interfere with 
skirt-pressing, and is perfectly steady. 

The illustration also shows the little zinc shelf, 
to the right of the board, for the gas iron. A 
piece of asbestos is fitted between the wall and 
the shelf. The same arrangement is advisable 
for an electric iron. And with the latter it is a 
good plan to have a small red bulb attached to 
one end of the iron. This tiny light glows a con- 
tinual reminder when the power is on. It con- 
sumes very little extra power and may save 
accidents. Either a gas or an electric iron can, 
of course, be connected to the high fixtures with- 
out interfering with the regular light. The gas 
or electric company can supply the necessary 
attachment for this purpose, and will also send 
a man to adjust it. 

For a gown form that will be the right size and 
shape get enough stockinette or Shaker flannel 



4 HOME CRAFTS 

for a fitted waist. Make this waist from a fitted- 
lining pattern with high collar, and long enough 
to come seven inches below your waist-line. It 
should be fitted tight, without wrinkles, over as 
little underclothing as possible. The seams are 
to be inside. After they have been machine- 
stitched, put on the waist and have some one sew 
up the center-front closing. Then mix plaster 
of Paris, a small portion at a time, and have 
some one apply it rapidly and smoothly with 
both hands over the whole surface of the waist. 
Be sure the vessel in which the plaster is mixed 
is clean and free from any particles of hardened 
plaster for each mixing. When the entire waist 
has been thoroughly covered and the plaster has 
set quite firm (about half an hour) have some one 
cut the waist apart down the center front and back. 
Remove both halves carefully and dry them in a 
moderate oven. Then give the inside a plaster 
coat and after that has dried join the two parts 
with inch-wide strips of adhesive tape. 

Your waist form is then ready to mount on a 
standard that will bring it to your height, shoul- 
der to shoulder. Including the standard, for 
which a carpenter will charge perhaps fifty cents, 
the whole gown form costs not more than one 
dollar. Indeed, if one has tools the standard 
can be made at home. A board one-half inch 
thick and large enough to cover the opening at 
the base of the form must be cut to fit this open- 
ing exactly and glued into place. However, be- 




A PRACTICAL IRONING EQUIPMENT FOR THE SEWING- 
ROOM. THE HINGED BOARD IS AN ECONOMY OF 
SPACE AND TIME 



THE HOME SEWING-ROOM 5 

fore adjusting the board the standard should be 
screwed to it. A dowel rod one inch in diam- 
eter or a broom-handle will answer this pur- 
pose. The floor base of the standard can be 
made of a second board one inch thick and large 
enough to make a firm foundation. It must be 
weighted with a sheet of lead, so that the gown 
form will not be top-heavy. 

The only other large piece of equipment that 
a home sewing-room needs is a cutting-table. A 
four-foot-long table with unfinished top, the kind 
that can be purchased for about four dollars in 
the kitchen-furnishing section of a department 
store, is ideal, especially if it has a drawer in which 
cutting-shears and tailor's chalk can be kept. 
But even if the sewing-room is large enough to 
admit a table of that kind, sometimes the house- 
hold purse is not. So a drop-shelf substitute is 
suggested. This can be made from the side of 
a packing-box, hinged to the wall and further 
supported by two legs braced together at the 
top with a four-inch- wide strip of wood. By 
means of this strip the legs are hinged to the long 
free edge of the shelf board. When the cutting- 
shelf is not in use it can be folded up against the 
wall and the legs drop back against it. 

A convenient size for a cutting-shelf is four 
feet long by two and one-half feet wide. That 
allows a skirt length to be laid out. But if 
cramped for space even a small cutting-shelf will 
be worth while. It may not need the legs, but 



6 HOME CRAFTS 

will be sufficiently supported by large brackets 
fastened to the wall. If the packing-box board 
is too rough, a white oil-cloth cover tacked over 
it will remedy this defect. 

Now about the sewing-room floor; one of nar- 
row matched hardwood boards is best. If that 
is impossible or the floor is old and has large, un- 
sightly cracks that catch dust and fairly devour 
pins, it should be covered or painted. For a 
covering either cork carpet or linoleum is good. 
The cork carpet costs $1.50 per square yard, 
and a good quality of inlaid linoleum $1.85 per 
square yard. Both are rather expensive. The 
initial cost of a painted floor will be less; but, of 
course, it will need repainting frequently, at least 
on the much-traveled spots. Before the paint is 
applied the boards should be scrubbed and the 
cracks filled with wood-filler (it can be bought in 
any paint-shop), or with a stiff mixture of flour 
and water — a regular dough. When the filling 
has dried the floor is ready to be finished with 
two or three coats of medium-toned floor paint. 



II 

SEWING-ROOM SUBSTITUTES 

ALTHOUGH this chapter is to tell about 
l sewing-room, substitutes — that is, what to 
do when one has no special room set aside ex- 
clusively for that kind of work, as so often hap- 
pens in small apartments — it is going to begin 
by telling how one woman substituted another 
room, or rather turned it into a sewing-room. 

Up to the time of the transformation each 
spring and fall brought with its seasonable sew- 
ing a period of chaos for the household, not be- 
cause the work to be done was an extra that had 
to be fitted into the usual domestic routine, but 
because of the confusion through having to do 
the work either in one of the two bedrooms or 
in a corner of the dining-room. In either case it 
meant putting everything away at the close of 
the trying day and getting it all out again next 
morning, which was a loss of time and not in- 
frequently the loss of carefully adjusted pins, 
requiring another fitting and extra labor for their 
replacing. This housekeeper had always found 



8 HOME CRAFTS 

it more practical to sacrifice her dining-room to 
the siege of sewing, because from there she could 
conveniently manage activities in the kitchen. 

Keeping the latter necessity in mind, she 
started at the rear of the house in her mental re- 
adjustment of its arrangement, with the hope of 
releasing a part of it from present service for a 
permanent sewing-room. No scrap of space pre- 
sented itself except the pantry — not the but- 
ler's pantry, but one off the kitchen under the 
rear stairs that must have been planned by the 
architect for the storage of canned goods and 
quantities of things which one could never hope 
to use often, or at least not easily, because, bar- 
ring the two dower shelves, all the rest were be- 
yond any reach except that of a giant. It had 
more room in it than was needed for cooking 
utensils and not enough light to find them 
quickly. Besides, like most modern house- 
keepers, this woman stocked her kitchen with 
equipment that answered many instead of in- 
dividual purposes. This reduced the quantity. 
And she preferred to have it hang from hooks 
and stand in neat rows on shelves conveniently 
near the range and sink. Also, like many house- 
keepers to-day, she found it better economy to 
buy canned fruits as they were needed rather 
than to prepare these at home. 

It really seemed quite possible to get on com- 
fortably without a pantry, but not at all pos- 
sible without a sewing-room. And so a car- 



SEWING-ROOM SUBSTITUTES 9 

penter was engaged to put a window into the 
outside wall of the pantry and to take out all 
the shelves. One of them he turned into a drop- 
shelf. He also made three drawers that slid 
into the openings of three stairs conveniently 
high in the flight. Remember the pantry was 
under the rear stairway, the soffit of which was 
not incased. In these drawers were kept pat- 
terns, cut-out material, and small sewing equip- 
ment. The machine stood under the window, a 
gown form behind the door, and after the en- 
trance of the seamstress there was, to be sure, 
not much room to spare, but as an improvement 
over the old way it was a complete success, and 
far better than no sewing-room at all. 

However, when there is no other way but to 
use a part of another room as a sewing-corner, 
one can prepare the necessary equipment. so that 
it may be assembled quickly and cleared away 
easily. Though the initial outlay entails a slight 
expenditure of effort and money, the eventual sav- 
ing in time and labor will amply repay one. 

About the floor first — the threads that gather 
there and cling to the rug may be prevented from 
ever reaching it by spreading a piece of enamel 
cloth over the portion of the room where the sew- 
ing is to be done. One end should be fastened 
to a stick as long as the width of the cloth, so 
that it may be rolled up into a slim package 
which will occupy little room in a closet when not 
in service. The corners opposite those attached 



io HOME CRAFTS 

to the stick must be weighted with small leads 
to keep their end flat while stretched on the 
floor. One variety of this material comes extra 
wide, is non-cracking, and may be had in dark 
colors, unfigured. 

The sewing-machine, that most necessary yet 
unsightly piece of equipment, is another trying 
feature in making a temporary sewing-place of 
another room. It is so heavy that even though 
there may be a closet large enough to store one 
when not being used, the difficulty in wheeling 
it in and out for every bit of stitching makes that 
way of concealing the machine very impracti- 
cable. Then, too, the floor soon becomes grooved 
and worn by the casters. A better plan is to 
let it remain out, but hide its unsightliness with 
a fitted cover — a protection against dust as well. 

Drop-head machines are better adapted to this 
treatment. They can, too, be used as a stand for 
other things when covered. The top of the 
cover should be fitted smooth and brought down 
the sides for three inches, taking out the extra 
fullness of the corners with a seam. Then, to the 
edge of the fitted part gather or pleat a deep 
valance that will come to within an inch of the 
floor. Pleating, either straight or box pleats, 
make the work look more professional. Plain- 
colored linen, dyed unbleached muslin, Japanese 
crepe or chintz, are suitable materials for a cover. 

In city apartments, where it is frequently neces- 
sary to use couches in place of beds, the cover for 



SEWING-ROOM SUBSTITUTES 



ii 



the machine, the couch, and the over-curtains at 
the windows might all be made of the same pat- 
terned chintz with good effect. A cover of the 
material for the gown form would make that 
piece of equipment less conspicuous in case there 
was no closet room for storing it. The cover 
should be made long, and wide enough to easily 
and completely envelop the form when it is draped 
with a partially made gown. 

Small sewing equipment may be kept together 
and ready for use in several ways. The chintz- 
covered folding sewing-screens, that contain all 
the required utensils either on hooks in neat rows 
or tucked away in their special pockets, every 
woman has seen even if she does not own one. 
But does she know that they may be recovered 
when the original chintz wears out or becomes too 
soiled? Originally the screens have their wooden 
foundation frames covered with material as well 
as backed with it. This should all be taken off 
when recovering, and the wood stained and waxed. 
It will not be necessary to take out the little 
brass hooks. Stain and wax can be got in any 
paint-shop or paint department of the large 
stores. The small sample-size bottle and can 
will be enough of each for a screen. Some stain 
comes mixed in varnish, but this kind is not so 
easy to apply nor does the wood look so well 
glossed in that way as with wax. If the wood is 
rough it should be sandpapered before staining. 
Begin with No. i paper and use No. oo for final 



i2 HOME CRAFTS 

finishing. After staining, the screen is ready to 
be rebacked with new material. This requires 
only stretching tight and tacking around the 
edges. The smallest brass-head gimp tacks make 
the neatest finish. 

A large suit-case is also a compact and conven- 
ient way to keep small sewing equipment. The 
straw-covered cases are the best for this purpose. 
Frequently they come lined and have their covers 
supplied with pockets. Then all that is neces- 
sary is to stretch a half-inch-wide linen tape 
across the cover above the pockets, tacking it to 
the lining at intervals to form places into which 
scissors, a folded tape-measure, and the supply 
paper of pins may be slipped. Of course, a pin- 
cushion must be added, and a good way to make 
this is with a small tape loop by which it may be 
fastened on a button sewed to the suit-case lining, 
or when in use fastened in the same way to the 
sewing-apron. A suit-case of this kind is also 
a place to keep the partially finished work. Both 
screen and suit-case require little storage space, 
making them practical where the economy of room 
is a factor. 

The woman who does a little carpentry will 
be able to make a sewing-stand out of the large 
wooden boxes in which cheese is packed. Some 
of these are eighteen inches in diameter and from 
seven to nine inches deep. The box part forms 
the upper portion of the stand, and the cover be- 
comes a tray that is fastened to the legs about 



SEWING-ROOM SUBSTITUTES 13 

ten inches above the floor. The carpenter's 
work comes in fastening on the legs. These need 
not be round. Four strips of wood each three- 
quarters of an inch thick, two and a half inches 
wide and of a length to make the stand the 
necessary height are quite satisfactory for the 
purpose and are more easily fastened to the box 
and cover. A completed stand would require 
either painting or staining as a finish. The box 
may be lined and fitted with pockets for the sew- 
ing utensils, and there will be ample room for 
the sewing as well. If one has two boxes, or rather 
a box and two covers, the cover for the box of 
the stand will be useful if kept for that purpose. 
It would protect the contents from dust while 
not in use. , 

By planning a place for all the small fittings 
and harmonizing the large pieces of equipment 
to their surroundings it is thus possible to fit 
an inconspicuous and convenient sewing-room 
into one of the other rooms of the small house 
or apartment. 



It 



III 

BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 

GOOD beginnings insure good endings' ' — 
an old Roman belief that is especially 
true of household linens, for the future life and 
usefulness of a piece depend upon its past. And 
the housekeeper who goes forth to replenish her 
supply must, like Janus, look back and forward 
before making her purchase. 

Household linen is a general name, applied to 
bed linen as well as to towels and napery. Al- 
though nowadays few linen-closets in this coun- 
try are stored with sheets and pillow-cases of real 
linen, as they formerly were when the bleaching, 
spinning and weaving of flax were done at home. 
Real linen bedding is too dear for most house- 
hold purses. With the invention of power spin- 
ning and weaving one should, of course, be able 
to buy a good quality for little money. But our 
demand far outreaches the supply that this coun- 
try can furnish, and after the transportation and 
duty are paid on an imported product its price 
has reached a mark that compels most house- 
wives to limit their purchase. So that is why 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 15 

we now sleep between cotton sheets and on cot- 
ton pillow-cases instead of linen ones that are so 
pleasantly cool in hot weather. 

To deal with cotton first. Some shoppers main- 
tain that English sheeting is superior to our own 
manufacture, giving " hurry/ ' that usual explana- 
tion for any inferiority in American manufactured 
products, as the reason for this difference. How- 
ever, old brand names of home manufacture 
should be recognized as guarantees of good ma- 
terial. And reliable retail dealers can be depended 
upon to carry both the made bedding and sheet- 
ing by the yard from only old-established mills. 
As for adulteration, the cotton itself is as cheap 
as any adulterant would be. Of course there 
are different grades of cloth, depending not only 
on the quality of the cotton that went into the 
spinning, but also upon the number of threads 
to the inch in the weave. Here again it is safe 
to accept the word of a reliable retailer. When 
buying cotton household linens the shopper usually 
gets what she pays for. 

It is the past of household linens made from 
flax that must be carefully investigated. Of 
course, the word of a reliable firm may still be 
accepted as a guarantee for quality, but there 
are many kinds of linen, and each kind fills some 
place in the household supply better than any 
other. The successful shopper asks for the right 
kind to meet each of her needs and is also a judge 
of quality. 



16 HOME CRAFTS 

Most of the countries of Europe contribute to 
the linen-market, and each has its characteristics, 
due to the soil and climate in which the flax was 
grown, or to its manufacture, and often to all 
three. Russia's product is chiefly a harsh, coarse- 
textured stuff, rather loosely woven — more suit- 
able for decorative than utilitarian purposes in 
house-furnishing. Germany makes a good strong 
weave out of a coarse-spun flax. This is a perfect- 
ly dependable product, but lacks brilliancy both 
in design and in texture. German table linen is 
usually half bleached. In fact, so much of it is, 
that the two terms are synonymous in our shops. 
Scotch linen is also coarse and less bleached than 
the German product. It must be understood 
that the linen-fabric output of these countries is 
not limited to that type of goods. In each there 
are mills in which fine linen stuffs are woven, 
but the great bulk is of the kind described and 
characterizes the output of the country. This 
partly bleached damask does in time become white 
and will outwear the white that is chemically 
bleached in the factory. To hasten the home 
bleaching process it may be dipped in a solution 
of Javelle water every time it is laundered. The 
recipe for Javelle water is as follows: 

I pound of washing-soda dissolved in i quart of 

boiling water. 
% pound of chloride of lime dissolved in 2 quarts 

of cold water. 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 17 

Pour the clear liquid from the chloride-of-lime 
solution into the dissolved soda. Let the mix- 
ture settle and then pour the clear liquid into 
bottles, cork and keep in a dark place. This will 
make enough for many bleachings, since very 
little at a time should be used, -not more than one 
part Javelle water to twenty parts water. The 
linen must be thoroughly rinsed so that not a 
trace of the solution remains, and then hung in 
the sun to dry. 

France and Austria (the latter often sold under 
the name of Moravian linen) lead the world in 
fine workmanship and beauty of design. When 
buying the cloth and napkins for very best, ask 
the shopkeeper to show you the finest damask of 
French manufacture. Even though one is not 
always able to purchase that kind, it is a real treat 
to see and feel fabrics of such excellence, and, too, it 
gives one a standard both in design and in quality 
for judging other pieces. The French damask is 
closely woven — that is, many threads to the inch, 
out of the finest spun, long-fibered flax. In the 
preparation of flax for spinning it is carded and 
recarded a number of times. The fibers that re- 
main after the last carding are the longest and 
most even, and it is these that go into the finest 
linens, giving a smooth, glossy surface and a firm 
but thin texture. And being smooth and firm, 
the better grades of damask are rarely starched. 

Beware of linen containing much sizing. It 
is usually put in to give a loose-weave body or to 



1 8 HOME CRAFTS 

smooth a surface that would otherwise be rough 
and knotted because of the short-fibered, uneven 
flax from which the cloth is woven. After the 
first laundering such a fabric will look sadly dif- 
ferent. It is difficult to judge the quality of a 
much-stiffened linen without washing it, and 
samples are cut not large enough to help much 
after they are washed. However, one fairly sure 
way of finding uneven places is to hold the linen 
up to a strong light. If it is woven of short card- 
ings there will be a generous sprinkling of small, 
opaque streaks throughout that will in time wear 
rough and fuzzy, or there may be thin threads 
running the whole length of the fabric. If the 
thin place appears to be local, but covers more 
than the width of a thread, it is probably due to 
a bleaching reagent. But one can never be sure 
even though these telltale marks are not to be 
seen, and the safest way is to refuse a much- 
sized table damask or toweling. 

Ireland still leads in all-around linen excellence, 
chiefly because the moist Irish climate is peculiar- 
ly adapted to the growing and outdoor bleaching 
of flax. Of course, the Irish manufacturer, in 
order to compete with other countries, is com- 
pelled to use modern chemical methods for quick- 
bleaching his product, as well as the longer mead- 
ow-bleach process. But he has the " greens," 
and by paying a little more one can still procure 
linen that was whitened on them — "old bleach/ ' 
as it is known commercially. Perhaps the entire 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 19 

bleaching is not done on the "greens." One 
might really be forgiven for doubting it, as that 
way takes from eight to ten weeks. However, 
the longer life of old-bleach linen makes the 
difference in price worth while, especially for 
towels that get rough and frequent laundering. 

Like the best table linen, the best toweling is 
not sized. Choice old-bleach towels have a 
"beetled" surface finish. This means that the 
cloth was mechanically beaten with wooden ham- 
mers as it passed around a series of rollers until 
it has the smooth, glossy surface and soft texture 
that distinguishes it. 

There are three weaves of toweling: huckaback 
with a small twist or "huck," thrown up in the 
weave to give it a slightly rough friction surface; 
diapered weave — a linen with a small diamond or 
"bird's-eye" pattern over its surface, smoother 
than a huck towel, but not so smooth as damask, 
the third type of towel weave. This last kind is 
not so popular as it was years ago when fringes 
decorated towel ends. Both are unpractical, and 
were popular only for a fad period. But for him 
who likes a soft, rather "slippery" towel, damask 
will meet the requirement. Double damask, 
made of a hard-twist thread, wears better. It is 
usually found among the Irish linens. 

Unless one intends to finish the towel ends 
with one of the many attractive needlework edges, 
it hardly pays to buy toweling and hem the ends. 
To be sure, for the same amount of money a better 



2o HOME CRAFTS 

quality of linen can be bought by the yard than 
in a made towel. And so it remains for the in- 
dividual to decide which is worth more, quality 
gained or effort and time saved. The made 
towels come with both hemstitched and scal- 
loped ends. The latter develops rough edges 
after several launderings and a machine-embroid- 
ered scallop is never quite up to what it imitates, 
so on the whole a scalloped towel is not the best 
choice. 

Now as to size. The old 2 7-by-4S-inch towel 
has been abandoned for the more practical 24- 
by-42-inch size. Guest towels are about 15 by 24 
inches. Even the Turkish towel has diminished 
from the enormous old-time kind to thirty inches 
by fifty inches or thereabouts. 

A good way to judge the quality of a Turkish 
towel is by the border. A firm, close-woven bor- 
der means that quality throughout the towel. 
A long, loose loop will pull out after a few launder- 
ings. With this kind of toweling, as with sheets, 
the English make has the name for superiority. 
It is true the English towel is softer, but is that so 
desirable for a friction towel ? French ' ' Turkish ' ' 
towels (which means Egyptian cotton) are even 
softer and entirely defeat their purpose. There 
is no reason why a home-manufactured towel of 
this type made from home-grown cotton should 
not be satisfactory. A medium quality costs 
about fifty cents. 

Union cloth, a mixture of linen and cotton, 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 21 

might deceive the shopper, though a reputable 
firm will never label it linen or put linen prices 
on it. However, if the " all linen" claim of a 
piece of material is doubted, this test may be ap- 
plied to a sample. Wash the sample free of any 
dressing, and, when dry, fringe it to expose both 
warp and weft threads. Then immerse it in 
sulphuric acid. The cotton will be destroyed in 
about half a minute, but the linen will last two 
minutes or longer. A 50-per-cent. solution of 
caustic potash will also give a linen test. Im- 
merse the doubtful sample. The cotton in it 
will turn light brown and the linen a dark brown. 
And who has not seen some other woman at the 
linen-counter " telling* ' linen by the old-fashioned 
way — wetting it? Real linen is supposed to ab- 
sorb the moisture more rapidly than it would if 
there were cotton in it. The difficulty with this 
test is that any dressing in the fabric spoils its 
reliability and a piece of union linen never leaves 
the factory without dressing. Shoddy, or refuse, 
linen and short cardings, of course, will give the 
linen test and still be a more undesirable pur- 
chase than a cotton mixture. The former wears 
evenly, but the latter develops a loose texture 
and fuzzy surface as the short ends and weak 
threads give way in the laundering. However, 
this kind of linen is always sold well starched 
and so should never deceive the shopper who 
knows what that means. 

The five things that it is claimed the thrifty 



22 HOME CRAFTS 

Holland housewife must know before she will 
make any purchase are well worth while to know 
about linen before buying. They are: 

i. The place and manner of its manufacture. 

2. Its relative quality. 

3. How to detect possible flaws or adulteration. 

4. Whether it is an imitation. 

5. The possible advantages there may be in a higher- 

priced piece. 

January is the linen month. It is then that 
the retail merchant concentrates his attention 
on that stock and makes his annual bewildering 
array of damasks at such tempting prices. Al- 
though convention limits the form of linen ser- 
vice in good usage, the variety of design within 
that limit is legion. But the woman with a nice 
sense of harmony and exacting tastes keeps her 
dining-room furniture and her china in mind 
when buying her table linen, so that her choice 
will accord with the latter in costliness and type 
of design. For the dining-room in fine Sheraton, 
Hepplewhite or Adam style, there are damasks 
with delicately patterned borders and restrained 
satin stripes, leaving the larger and somewhat 
heavier floral designs for the dining-room showing 
Chippendale influence or in earlier English style. 
Among the oldest Irish patterns is one showing 
satiny pheasants and other game birds with 
startling naturalness. But, fortunately, Ameri- 
can taste in table linen does not lean that way, 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 23 

and the foreign damask flaunting gamey or fishy 
designs never became popular. Perhaps those 
cloths were originally woven for the long refrec- 
tory tables that stood in the oak-paneled halls 
and were used only for the service that followed 
a hunt. 

From breakfast-cloth and small napery through 
luncheon with its doilies or runner there is a wide 
latitude for personal choice. To the formal din- 
ner, however, good usage still decrees nothing but 
fine satin damask or the deep, lace-bordered cloth. 
The latter is more often used on a round table, 
the fall of the lace coming its full width from the 
edge. It is only the luncheon-cloth that shows 
the pattern of its lace border over the polished 
surface. 

Nothing but finest china and plain crystal 
should be used on an elaborate cloth. Over- 
dressing the dining-table with heavy silver and 
cut glass has given place to a simplicity where 
even the floral decoration is limited. In one of 
the New York shops, that displays its wares in 
a suggestive way, a tall urn-shaped compote of 
Venetian glass graced the center of a table 
covered with a lace-bordered cloth. The glass, 
slightly tinged with yellow, was banded by a 
narrow black rim and had two small black 
handles. It held three sprays of wild orchids — 
the dark-spotted, yellow kind that one finds in 
the spring woods. Goblets at each cover carried 
the color note around the table, 



24 HOME CRAFTS 

An unusual luncheon-cloth, made by Russian 
peasants, had a dull raspberry-red linen center, 
and around it a fifteen-inch-wide band of white. 
Russian linen is never real white, but ivory. 
The texture of this piece was slightly rough and 
loose. Two rows of Italian hemstitching (the 
directions are given in the next chapter) close to- 
gether decorated and concealed the joining of 
border and center. The border was marked off 
into squares by double rows of the hemstitching 
done with red linen floss, and in every other 
square primitive flower forms were darned in 
two shades of dull red and just a touch of dullest 
yellow. The yellow, laid close and couched 
down, made the flower centers. All of the forms 
were outlined in fine chain-stitch. An ivory- 
toned Italian ware (not china) was dispayed on 
this cloth. The rather large cups had short stand- 
ards. And there were also low covered bowls 
decorated with curious little raised form-groups 
all in the one ivory tone. 

The many little doilies that formerly spotted 
a luncheon-table have now on the best-furnished 
tables been merged into one large place cloth, 
usually oblong and measuring fifteen inches wide 
and eighteen inches long. This is the largest size. 
With .these may be used a runner of the same 
linen, or two runners, one across the table near 
each end if it is long. To be sure, on a round 
table the round doilies are in better harmony, 
and if not more than three are used for each cover, 



BUYING HOUSEHOLD LINENS 25 

with a single large centerpiece, the effect should 
be satisfactory. In the following chapters are 
suggestions for materials and ways of finishing 
these. Attractive sets can be made as pick-up 
work, costing little in time, effort, and money. 



IV 

MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 

IF the nineteenth century was made for woman, 
as a French writer claimed, surely the twen- 
tieth century, with women in politics, in business, 
and in the pulpit, is being made by woman. And 
what more natural and appropriate than that 
she should express her individuality by putting 
her initials on all of her household linens in the 
most attractive form possible? Of course, the 
mark on some pieces has an entirely utilitarian 
purpose, but there, too, it may be attractive. 

To deal with that kind first — the mark for 
laundry identification. We all know the pen-and- 
ink mark with its institutional look, and even 
worse, the rubber stamp or stencil. Then there 
is the name-tape, neat but not particularly in- 
dividual. By taking just a little more time cross- 
stitch initials can be worked on sheets, pillow- 
cases, and family towels with a difference in re- 
sult from the first-mentioned marks that is well 
worth the effort. The letters should be the per- 
fectly plain block kind, a half -inch high. It is not 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 27 

necessary to do the work over canvas. That 
takes too much time, and one soon becomes ex- 
pert in keeping the crosses even. Care should 
be taken to have each new cross start from the 
holes of the cross last made, and working with 
the twist of the thread will also help to make 
each cross more distinct. 

Using different colors to designate bed linen 
belonging to narrow and wide beds facilitates 
finding the right set in the linen-closet. An in- 
dividual color, suitable for the room, may be 
used for each separate bedroom, if the house- 
keeper likes to keep close track of wear and tear. 
And the date of purchase can be easily included 
in the marking, by adding, after or before the 
mark, a single stitch, two stitches, or a "star" 
stitch. There must, of course, be a key to this, 
as, for example: 

x after — June, 191 5. 

X before — September, 19 15. 
x x after — May, 19 16. 
x x before — July, 19 16. 

Rafter — September, 19 16. 
* Rafter — January, 191 7. 

And as a further assistance in filing the mark 
should be made in a similar place on each article 
of a kind. Near a corner is a good position on 
sheets. Just which one depends upon how it is 
folded in laundering; in fact, the laundering folds 
control the placing of marks in any article, and 



28 HOME CRAFTS 

since all laundresses do not follow the same 
method no definite placing can be suggested. 
The mark should never be worked in the ex- 
treme corner — first because a margin around it is 
better in appearance, but chiefly because the 
stitching would soon be worn out by the clothes- 
pins. On towels the mark is quite generally 
placed in the center just above the hem. Towels 
are usually folded in thirds, with the center third 
uncovered. 

Never attempt to do cross-stitching over a 
stamped pattern, whether letters or decoration. 
Be the stamping ever so perfect, the material is 
apt to stretch, and the stamp becomes more an 
annoyance than a help. Canvas is the best 
way for transferring an elaborate pattern that 
cannot be followed free hand. It comes in several 
sizes for fine and coarse thread. The coarsest is 
the size needed for the wool cross-stitching, or 
petit point. 

Outline, or etching, stitch is sometimes used in 
making the identification initials. But it is 
neither so durable nor so pleasing in appearance 
as cross-stitching. 

A business woman who is clever with her 
fingers as well as her head makes initialed insets 
with filet crochet. She sets them into dressing- 
table covers and on the ends of guest towels for 
her little house in the country. The piece meas- 
ures one and a quarter inches in height, is four 
inches long, and contains four initials. 



If. 

> 
% 

*i 

r 
w 

H 

H 
> 
H 

w 

B 

O 

H 

c 




MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 29 

They are crocheted out of ordinary crochet 
cotton No. 60 with a steel crochet-hook that will 
carry thread of that size — No. 11 in an imported 
hook. The money cost is negligible, and quick 
fingers make them in odd moments without much 
time cost, either. 

Now about linen marks that have only their 
attractiveness as their reason for being, and about 
some ways of making them. To work the mono- 
gram or initials on the cloth and napery for 
formal dinner service, only the satin-stitch is 
sanctioned. But for the personal mark on the 
cloth for less formal occasions and on luncheon 
or breakfast sets there are a number of simple 
stitches (nearly every woman knows how to do 
them) that can be combined with good effect on 
either letters or monograms. They are feather- 
stitch, the buttonhole embroidery-stitch, outline 
or Kensington stitch, and catch-stitch. They are 
applied in different ways to such a variety of do- 
mestic articles that as a group they have been 
named the Household Stitches. 

A sampler is illustrated suggesting some ways 
of combining them. The L is outlined in feather- 
stitch and Kensington, with unpadded satin- 
stitch for filling the space between the two out- 
lines. The G in the opposite corner is Kensing- 
ton outline only and the satin-stitch filling. 
Kensington-stitch is always used with this type 
of letter in order to make the fine stroke. The 

combination is more effective if worked in two 
3 



3 o HOME CRAFTS 

tones, either white and a color or two shades of 
the same color. 

A letter worked in this way on one of the colored 
damask luncheon sets that are among the new 
linens would be a particularly happy combina- 
tion. They come in delft blue or yellow. The 
cloth has a plain damask center, but just inside 
the two-inch-wide hemstitched hem is a deep 
border made of satin stripes that are lighter than 
the center field. The serviettes are similarly 
hemmed and bordered, but, of course, narrower. 

Old-English type, like the illustrated A, worked 
in two tones, might be used instead of script if 
the former type of letter is preferred. The broad 
stroke with checkered filling has a buttonhole- 
stitch foundation. The buttonhole-stitches should 
be done close together, in fact touching, across 
the width of the stroke. Their purling will form 
the outline of the stroke on one edge, and Ken- 
sington-stitch finishes the opposite edge. When 
this much is done, the checkered effect is got by 
weaving, with a lighter color, over two and under 
two of the long buttonhole-stitches at a time, 
back and forth, until the whole band is filled in. 
Be sure to use double thread in the needle for 
the weaving and keep the threads of each stitch 
parallel. 

Coarse, hard-twist embroidery cotton is better 
for any of this work than linen floss. It must be 
the hard-twist kind in order to make the stitchery 
clear and definite and give character to the letter. 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 31 

A set of breakfast linen for porch use might be 
inexpensively made of unbleached damask towel- 
ing, either a plain weave or one of the small 
diapered patterns. The runner and toast-cloth 
only should be marked, using either two or three 
letters, and centering them on one end. Old- 
English letters worked in long and short button- 




THE TWO POINTS INDICATE 

THE SECOND POSITION OF 

THE NEEDLE 



THE STITCH MUST BE DONE 
WITH HEAVY THREAD 



hole-stitch like the G in the upper right-hand 
corner of the sampler would not mean more than 
one afternoon's work. Instead of the usual hem- 
stitched hem any one of the linear stitches illus- 
trated in the diagrams on pages 3 1 and 3 2 will give 
a finish that is a ' ' little different," also they take 
less time. Unbleached damask marked in dull 
green or red stitchery is especially good with a 



32 



HOME CRAFTS 



crackle-ware service or the gay-patterned Russian 
dishes. 

The stitchery of the Q is the only other letter 
on the sampler that is not obvious. The entire 
outline of the Q is Kensington-stitch. When this 

is done the space be- 
tween must be covered 
with catch-stitch, 
worked from one out- 
lined edge to the other 
edge opposite, but catch- 
ing into the linen, not 
into the outlining. Then 
with a lighter - colorecl 
thread a zigzag line is 
woven over the catch- 
stitching. 

The Italians make use 
of the stitch known as 
Italian hemstitching in 
a simple and decorative 
way. They usually 
apply it on the ivory- 
toned Italian linen. This linen is woven of a 
coarse but smooth, round thread that gives it a 
firm and even texture, a quality that is required for 
most needlework. A tea-cloth of this linen, that 
was made in Florence, measured a yard and a 
half square. It was crossed in both directions 
at intervals of twelve inches by two rows of the 
hemstitching done close together. This divided 




A. FIRST POSITION OF THE 

NEEDLE 

B. SECOND POSITION OF 

THE NEEDLE 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 33 

the whole cloth into large squares. The edges 
of both cloth and serviettes were finished with 
two rows of the hemstitching. The first row was 
worked on the edge and covered the narrowest 
rolled hem that it was possible to make. From 
each* corner of the cloth hung little drops made of 
linen thread. That is a favorite way of orna- 
menting among Italian needlewomen. 

The Italian hemstitching is diagramed with 
needle in position on page 34. 

Among the dress linens one can sometimes pick 
up very reasonably odd lengths that would make 
admirable tea or luncheon cloths if they were 
only wide enough, especially in imported goods. 
Round-thread Italian linen is often only a yard 
wide, and the Russian crashes both fine and coarse 
are even narrower. There is, however, a way 
to adapt these. 

The linen a yard wide would be quite wide 
enough for a tea-cloth if six inches were added to 
both selvages. And that is exactly what can 
be done in the way of hems. The hems across the 
ends may, of course, be allowed for in the length, 
so the cloth, to begin with, will measure sixty-two 
inches long (allowing thirteen inches at each end 
for hems) and a yard wide. Then two strips each 
thirteen inches wide and sixty-two inches long 
must be basted to each selvage of the cloth, lap- 
ping strip and cloth one-quarter inch. They are 
permanently joined with the buttonhole-stitch in 
Venetian ladder form. An illustration of this 



34 



HOME CRAFTS 



stitch is given in the chapter on lingerie finishes. 
The buttonholing is done just outside the quarter- 
inch lap both on the cloth and on the strip which 
is being added. The bars are carried across and 
buttonholed as the work proceeds. The "ladder" 





ITALIAN HEMSTITCHING, SHOWING TWO POSITIONS OF 
THE NEEDLE 



must continue to within six and a quarter inches 
of the edge on the four sides. When entirely 
finished the material underneath the "ladders" 
is cut away close to the buttonholing. Then 
the hems are turned up six and a quarter 
inches (the quarter-inch being allowed to turn 
in) and hemmed to the wrong side of the button- 
holing. 

The cloth may be lettered with this same 
Venetian-stitch, graduating the width of the 
ladder to give grace to the strokes of the letters. 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 35 

This is also a novel and simple way of hemming 
and marking a guest towel. The stitchery should 
be made with round linen thread of a weight 
suitable to the stuff upon which the work is 
done. 

The narrow crashes may be joined in the same 
way, or using one of the other variations of 
the ever-useful buttonhole-stitch suggested in 
the chapter on lingerie finishes. Not only table 
linen is widened in this manner, but practical 
bedspreads may be made from the heavier 
crashes.- Strips of the crash of a length required 
for the bed might be decorated and dyed in 
Batik- work and then held together with one of 
the joinery-stitches done either in white thread 
or thread that was dyed in the same bath with 
the crash. 

A novel way of using any odd bits of real lace 
is to insert them, outlined with narrow lace 
beading, into fine linen for a centerpiece and 
doilies. The beading should be Cluny, or other 
linen pillow-lace, not more than one-quarter inch 
wide. With this insertion a conventional pattern 
is outlined on the linen foundation and the lace 
bits worked in the pattern as medallions. 

However, the work cannot be so quickly nor 
so easily done as the telling sounds. It must be 
carefully planned by first tracing the design for 
the beading outline in pencil on a piece of stiff 
paper. Then place the pieces of lace on the pat- 
tern and study the effect. It will no doubt be 



3 6 HOME CRAFTS 

necessary to shift and rearrange the bits a number 
of times before the best placing is found. Badly 
torn laces or scraps that are not quite large 
enough to fit the designed spaces may be mended 
or pieced out with fine net. 

When the laces are arranged in their final places 
they must be basted down with small stitches 
that follow the outline of the pattern. If the 
foundation linen is sheer enough to allow the 
penciled pattern of the paper to show through it, 
the sewing in place of the lace medallions will be 
possible without transferring the pattern directly 
on to the linen. After basting the medallions 
the Cluny insertion is basted on the linen, follow- 
ing the entire pattern, including the outline of 
the lace. And then the work of fastening them 
both permanently is ready to start. The nicest 
way to do this is with a " whip-stitch," done very 
close together over the edge of the insertion. 
This finish allows the linen to be cut away from 
under the lace close to the edges without danger 
of the latter pulling away. The centerpiece and 
doilies should be edged with an inch-wide lace 
matching the insertion. 

The bits of lace for the medallions need not 
be of the same pattern or even the same kind 
of lace. Point de Venice, Milan point, Guipure, 
old-rose point, and Valenciennes all may be ap- 
plied to the same luncheon set. The outlining 
insertion unifies the design. 

There are a few points that apply to the making 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 37 

of all household linens. The first of them is in 
regard to cutting. To pull a thread and cut on 
that line is always the safest way. If this is 
done the piece is sure to be "true" after laun- 
dering. 

Wide hems should have their open ends whipped 
together with fine overhanding, or top-sewing, as 
it is also called. 

This same stitch is used for the napery hem 
whether it is wide or narrow. It should, by the 




A NAPERY HEM WITH THE NEEDLE IN HEMMING POSITION 



way, never be wider than one-quarter inch on 
even the largest-size dinner napkin. To make 
it, turn a sixth of an inch to the wrong side of 
the damask and crease,, but do not stretch the 
folded edge in the creasing. Then turn the edge 
a second time, making this turning one-quarter 
inch wide. Now bend back the hem so that 



38 



HOME CRAFTS 



there are two folded edges parallel to each other 
and overhand them together. The overhanding 
stitch is also known as the napery hemming stitch 
because it is used for this purpose. Be sure to 
set the needle at right angles to the edges each 
time a stitch is made and pick up only a little 




J 














j 

1 
; 

! 

i 

1 



DIAGRAM FOR A MITERED 
CORNER. CUT ON THE 
DOTTED LINE, THEN FOLD 
DOWN HEM ON THE SOLID 
LINES. TURN UNDER RAW 
EDGES Y% INCH 



DIAGRAM FOR A SQUARE 
CORNER. CREASE ON THE 
SOLID LINES, CUT AWAY 
SURPLUS MATERIAL AT THE 
CORNER, AND THEN FOLD 
DOWN THE HEMS 



of the material in each edge. The diagram 
shows the needle in position. This makes a small, 
straight stitch on the right side that embeds 
itself in the grain of the material and does not 
show. Turn and hem opposite sides instead of 
beginning at one corner and hemming the four 
sides in succession. 

A corner is always turned square if there is a 



MAKING AND MARKING LINENS 39 

narrow hem. But when the hem is wide the 
corner may be squared or mitered. The diagrams 
show how to prepare the corner for either kind 
of finish. 

The nicest way to turn a corner when hem- 
stitching a hem is to draw out the threads just 
to the turn in each direction. Then the hemstitch- 
ing of the two sides will meet at the corners in- 
stead of crossing and continuing to the edge of 
the hem. The latter should have a mitered 
corner. 

It is a wise precaution to launder linen before 
it is embroidered, especially if the stitchery is to 
cover large surfaces in single masses. Then there 
can be no possibility of the embroidered pattern 
becoming thick or blurred, as sometimes happens 
in the first laundering when the linen has not 
been previously shrunk. This applies not so 
much to French embroidery as to the laid sur- 
face work that is done in such a variety of 
stitches. 

Nothing has been said so far about the making 
of kitchen linen. And under that term might 
be included everything made of stuffs, from tea- 
towels and dish-cloth to floor-cloth and duster. 
To-day these can all be got in the shops ready 
made at such a slight additional cost that it 
will not pay a housekeeper whose time is precious 
and who cares to save her energy for more profit- 
able application to spend it making any of these. 
Dish-towels for both glass and china come in 



4 o HOME CRAFTS 

yard lengths, costing one cent more hemmed 
than the same quality of linen unhemmed. Even 
the much-maligned roller-towel can be bought 
ready made. It comes in a size only about a 
third of its old-time length, a sort of compromise 
with those who declared against it. This size is 
a convenience over the sink drain-board, and, 
being small, it is not difficult to handle in the 
laundry. 

Each housekeeper knows best the value of her 
own time and energy, and must compute for her- 
self whether she can afford one or another kind 
of marking. The simple cross-stitching of initials 
can be afforded by practically every one, but be- 
yond that each must make her own decisions. 
Elaborateness is not necessary to beauty, but a 
decorative ideal is necessary — and a plan. 



V 

MENDING LINENS AND USES FOR OLD LINENS 

IF ever there is a place where a stitch in time 
will save nine it is on table linen. But it 
must be taken before the least hole appears. 
And in order to ward off the hole the linen that 
has been in service for some time should be care- 
fully examined against a strong light for thin 
places before it goes to the laundry. If any do 
show, these may be reinforced by darning before 
they are subjected to another attack of the laun- 
dress. Darning before the hole arrives not only 
saves stitches, but it also saves the appearance 
of the linen. The pattern being unbroken, it is 
quite an easy matter to follow the original skips 
of the weave with the darning-needle, and in this 
way retain the pattern unmarred by stitches. 
But if there is a hole there is nothing to be done 
but lay foundation stitches in one direction and 
then weave across them. Of course, the weaving 
of the pattern or its background may even then 
be imitated, but that is a tedious process and is 
hardly worth while on old linen. 



42 HOME CRAFTS 

There are, however, a few points that apply 
to hole-darning that it is worth while to observe. 
Do not trim away the frayed edges of the hole, 
leaving a clean outline. That kind of preparation 
helps to reveal the finished darn. Cut away only 
the longest threads. Always lay the threads for 
the weaving with the threads of the fabric and 
carry these, and the weaving-threads as well, be- 
yond the hole with small running stitches, so 
that they are anchored in firm material. The 
cloth immediately around a hole is sure to be 
weak. 

This last point applies to the mending of rents 
and hedge tears in linen as well as to worn holes. 
But before detailing the methods of treating 
these, the general points that apply to all the 
mending of linen must be collected in a group. 

For table linens ravelings of the same linen are 
usually the best for darning, but are not, as a rule, 
obtainable. So the next best thing is the linen 
darning-floss that can be got either at the linen- 
counter or in the embroidery department of the 
shops. It comes in all weights, and a size to cor- 
respond with the thread of the cloth should be 
selected. The needle must be the finest that will 
carry the thread. A long-eyed crewel-needle can 
be used much finer than the ordinary round-eyed 
sharps needle. When changing the direction of 
a darn always leave a small loop, a very small one, 
at the turn. This allows for shrinkage of the 
darning-thread in laundering and also for "give" 



MENDING LINENS 43 

in the stretch of the material. The line of loops 
should be an irregular one, so that the strain is 
distributed instead of coming on the same threads 
the length of the darn. An unstarched piece of 
linen is easier to ply with the needle, but it does 
shift in an annoying way unless the portion in 
which the darn is to be made is basted on a stiff 
piece of paper. This completes the general 
methods that may be applied to every form of 
darning that is required by household linen. 

The hedge tear, that two-sided rent which more 
frequently befalls linen when it is dried among 
shrubs or bushes, and the straight tear or cut, are 
the two kinds of darning, besides the hole, that 
one most often has to mend in household linen. 

The hedge tear is the more difficult of the two. 
Start well beyond the beginning of the rent and 
darn back and forth in the material. When the 
tear is reached with the darning draw its edges 
together, using the fine drawing stitch. This 
stitch is illustrated 1 with needle in position. 
Continue the darning beyond the tear on each side 
for a space of about one-half inch. As the corner 
is approached spread the rows of darning stitches 
at their outer ends and contract them at their 
inner ends, so as to make a fan-shaped turn 
around the corner. Finish the second side of 
the tear like the first one just described. 

Straight tears and cuts are mended like one 
side of a hedge tear. Sometimes, in order to 
1 See illustration on page 51. 



44 HOME CRAFTS 

strengthen them, a second layer of stitches, cross- 
ing the first at right angles, is put in. This makes 
the mended place quite apparent, and so cannot 
be used on table linen. 

When a hole is too large to darn, and the 
article is worth the work, it may be mended with 
a patch. Of course this would not do in table 
linens, but the patch will lengthen the usefulness 
of bed linen and may also be used on kitchen 
aprons; in fact, wherever the laundering is the 
first consideration and appearance secondary. 
The process of its construction may be divided 
into six steps, so that is the way it is set down 
here: 

i. Determine the required size for the patch 
by measuring across the hole on both warp and 
weft, plus the worn part around the hole. If 
the two measures are nearly the same, plan for 
a square patch. 

2. Cut tfie patch from old material or from 
new stuff of a lighter quality than that of the 
article to be mended. Allow three-eighths inch 
for seams on all four sides. 

3. Turn down the edges of the patch one-eighth 
inch to the right side. 

4. Crease the article on the warp and weft 
threads so that the creases cross approximately 
through the center of the hole. Crease the patch 
in the same way. 

5. Place the right side of the patch against the 
wrong side of the article, matching creases; also, 



MENDING LINENS 45 

be sure that the warp of the patch runs with the 
warp of the article. Baste the patch near its 
edges and then hem down. 

6. Crease diagonally across article and patch 
after they are sewed together. Cut the article 
on these creases to within a scant three-eighths 
inch of the corner of the hemming stitches. This 
will free triangular portions of the article. Cut 
these off, allowing a scant three-eighths inch be- 
yond the hemming stitches. Turn down the edges 
one-eighth inch and hem them down against the 
patch. 

Note: Always hem opposite sides, beginning in 
a corner without a knot and finishing in the op- 
posite corner. The two lines of hemming stitches 
on each side of the patch should be parallel and 
not more than a quarter-inch apart. The corners 
should be right angles. Fine thread is quite strong 
enough and not so discernible. Use a thread 
two sizes finer than the size that would be suit- 
able for machine-stitching the article. If there 
is a pattern or check in the material it must be 
matched with the patch. 

There is a special patch for table damask, 
but unless the linen is new and. has met with an 
accident — laundry acid holes or holes burnt in — 
the housekeeper will hardly care to give the time 
that this patch requires. The opening for the 
patch is first cut out of the cloth. Then the ma- 
terial from which the patch is to be made is placed 

under the opening and shifted until the pattern 
4 



46 HOME CRAFTS 

in it and that of the cloth match, and the size 
of the patch marked through the opening with a 
sharp lead-pencil. The patch may then be cut 
out, and the two pieces — article and patch — basted 
on a stiff paper all ready for the patch to be fast- 
ened permanently to the cloth with the fine 
drawing stitch. It should not be necessary to 
use any darning stitches with it unless the ma- 
terial is too loose to hold the patch secure with 
fine drawing alone. Particular care must be ap- 
plied to all the cutting because clean edges are 
essential for the best results. 

When a piece of linen is quite beyond redemp- 
tion through darning or patching there is still a 
long term of usefulness before it in other forms 
of household service. Old towels make the best 
kind of cloths for cleaning windows and mirrors. 
They also make soft dusters if cut down and 
machine-hemmed. When the good parts of the 
linen are too small for any of these uses they may 
be cut into ten-inch squares, hemmed by ma- 
chine, finished with a tape loop, and hung over 
the bath-tub near the jar of enamel-cleaner to 
be used for the tub. 

But of all household linens the damask table- 
cloth renders the greatest variety of services be- 
fore it entirely disappears. At the very end of 
its reign it may be found in humble places, such 
as the refrigerator, wrapping washed lettuce. 

Squares of old linen are convenient to have on 
hand for drying meat and fish or potato slices 



MENDING LINENS 47 

that are to be fried in deep fat. A large square 
of damask folded in several thicknesses on the 
kitchen table makes a good absorbent pad for 
ears of corn or asparagus as it is lifted from the 
kettle. No water will collect in the service dishes 
if the kitchen absorbent pad is used. 

However, before the table-cloth need become 
assistant to the cook, it may be made to do duty 
in the dining-room in a number of ways. What 
housekeeper has not beheld with dismay that 
the edge of her round dining-table has worn al- 
most through her finest damask, leaving a center 
and handsome border in perfect condition? The 
thing to do in a case like this is to turn the dinner- 
cloth into a cloth for luncheon service by cutting 
the four corners off diagonally, making four large 
triangles of them. Then join these four triangles 
with one-and-a-half -inch-wide Cluny or torchon 
lace, whipping the lace to the edges of the damask 
triangles that formerly were the edges of the 
cloth. This makes a cross of the lace through 
the center of the table. The cloth may be cut 
round or square after the triangles are joined, and 
the edge finished with lace to match the pattern 
in the insertion. The center of the former din- 
ner-cloth remains to be cut into luncheon napkins 
that will be finished on their edges with a nar- 
rower width of lace. A small-patterned damask 
makes over in this way better than the large- 
scrolled and flowered kind: in fact, the small 
patterns make over better in all ways, and the 



48 HOME CRAFTS 

housekeeper working with a very long plan might 
choose her damask with this in mind. But that 
would perhaps mean losing more than was gained 
in the long run. 

When the center of a cloth is too darned or too 
thin to be darned, the borders are often quite 
good with the exception of the corners, which 
clothespins may have torn. These borders may 
be cut off and made into a runner, and four or 
more oblong place-cloths used instead of three 
doilies at each place. If there is not enough ma- 
terial in the borders for this, there will surely 
be enough for several carving-cloths to place 
undef* the platter. They save the large cloth 
many an extra laundering and reduce the weekly 
laundry bill. The nicest finish for the "made 
over" platter-cloth is a plain hem one and a 
quarter inches wide. 

Then there are the trays to be covered — either 
the breakfast or porch tray, and sometimes one 
for an invalid, and both the top and bottom trays 
of the service-cart. They are much neater in 
appearance covered with a fitted cloth rather 
than a folded napkin, or still worse, a napkin 
with corners hanging over the edge. Worn table- 
cloths and napkins, too, are an economical source 
of supply for these. The edges may be finished 
with one of the finishes illustrated in Chapter 
VI. Narrow linen laces are also suitable, or a 
picot edge can be crocheted with very little 
trouble. One woman who finishes hers in this 



MENDING LINENS 49 

way claims that it is not practical to crochet 
directly on to the linen, because the edge out- 
lasts the tray linen and can be used again if 
it is crocheted separate and whipped on to the 
cloth. 

Another woman who prefers to crochet the 
edge on at the same time that she makes it has 
two ways of making the application easier. On 
rectangular covers she pulls out a thread or two 
very near the edges and then crochets into this 
opening after overcasting the raw edge with 
needle and thread. To prepare the round, 
"made over" doilies for picoting she stitches very 
close to the edge with the machine, using a long 
stitch. And then she crochets into each of these 
stitches. They not only are a place to anchor 
the crochet, but help keep it even. The raw edge 
should be overcast with fine sewing-thread before 
doing the picot. 

Among the made sets of table linen that come 
from France there sometimes are damask bands 
two or three inches wide and about ten inches 
long. They are usually embroidered along the 
long edges and across one end. The latter is 
fastened over the undecorated end with small 
linen buttons and buttonholed loops. They are 
intended to hold the serviette. For any one 
who does not like to see her carefully set table 
spotted with various kinds and sizes of family 
napkin-rings this is a solution. The bands are 
so small that they can easily be made from worn 



SO HOME CRAFTS 

napkins. They would, of course, have to be 
initialed for different members of the family. 

By the way, when a cloth marked in French 
embroidery wears out, the letters or monogram 
can be transferred to a new cloth. Cut out the 
monogram with a margin of linen an inch and a 
half wide around it. Baste it in place on the new 
cloth, pinning it first with many pins so that it 
cannot possibly shift. Make the first basting 
one-quarter of an inch from the letters, and the 
second line one inch outside of the first. The 
stitches should be small. Then turn the cloth to 
the wrong side, and, using No. ioo cotton, back- 
stitch with the smallest possible stitches along 
all the edges of the letters. The edge can easily 
be felt through the linen. When this is finished 
the old linen around the letters may be cut away 
very close so that no raw edges show and the 
monogram will have been transferred in a way 
that cannot be detected. 

Colored damask works up into useful suit- 
case covers, one for the bottom and a second for 
over the top of the things after they are packed 
in the suit-case. Why not dye the borders of 
worn table-cloths and use them for these? The 
edges should be bound with colored tape. Get 
the white linen tape and dye it, too. Yellow 
covers with orange bindings would be good — both 
colors dull. The perfect parts from the center 
of the cloth could be dyed at the same time with 
the borders, and then made into a nightgown 



MENDING LINENS 



5i 



case, and pockets for brush, comb, and other 
toilet articles. They help keep the week-end 
suit-case in order. 

Laundry-bags for the bedrooms made of old 
damask might be dyed to carry out the color 
scheme of each room. Damask covers of the 
same color for dressing-table and chiffonier need 
only a narrow rolled hem whipped with heavy 
cotton of a different color for their edge finish. 

There seems to be no end to the variety of uses 
to which old damask may be put, so it really is 
worth while to pay a little more for good quality 
to begin with. 




NEEDLE IN POSITION FOR FINE DRAWING. WHEN THE 
MATERIAL IS WEAK DARN BEYOND EACH STITCH 



VI 

FINISHES FOR LINGERIE 

SUPPOSING all the lovely laces and em- 
broideries that are shown in profusion by 
the shopkeepers were to disappear and neither 
time nor inclination allowed one to do the deli- 
cate French embroidery. There would still be 
at least three dainty finishes for lingerie, all of 
them made out of the fine, soft nainsook itself. 
First, one could have a scalloped edge made of 
two thicknesses of material. And this is how to 
make it: Baste together two strips of nainsook 
one and a half inches wide, and enough of them 
to meet the required length of finishing edge. 
Cut these on either the warp or weft thread. 
Make a paper pattern one and a quarter inches 
wide and a foot long containing twelve scallops, 
each three-eighths of an inch deep. Pin the 
pattern on a strip of double nainsook and follow 
close to the edge of each scallop with the sewing- 
machine. When the end of the pattern is 
reached, move it down and continue stitching un- 
til all the strips are scalloped. Then cut away 
all but a one-eighth-inch seam around the 



FINISHES FOR LINGERIE 53 

curves and turn the finished trimming right side 
out. To apply it, stitch one of the straight edges 
to the garment, seam on the right side, make a 
narrow turning on the other straight edge, and 
baste it down over the stitching. Feather- 
stitching or one of the other linear stitches would 
be an attractive way of holding it down per- 
manently; however, machine-stitching very close 
to the edge is a neat, quick finish. 

For a ribbon run, stitch again one-half inch 
above the bottom row either with the ornamental 
stitch or the machine. Nightgowns topped by 
colored scallops are charming. The nainsook 
may be dyed fast color at home. The way to 
do it is told in Chapter XIII. 

As to the second finish, it was no one less than 
Poiret who introduced to us lingerie trimmed with 
narrow colored bindings. His models were made 
of handkerchief linen, having the palest violet, 
yellow, green or rose binding that never exceeded 
a fourth inch in width — the least bit more and 
the effect is clumsy and heavy. Of course no 
machine-stitching must show on a binding as 
narrow as that. The first edge may be ma- 
chined, but the second must be hemmed down 
by hand. Strips cut on a true bias are best for 
bindings, unless the edge to be bound must be 
stayed as well as finished. 

The third material trimming consists of ruffiings 
made of bias strips, only the strips must not be 
put on full at all. Just ease them on, and, being 



54 



HOME CRAFTS 



bias, the free edge will ripple a little. They are 
more attractive in most places than straight 
ruffles, fit smoother under outer clothing, and are 
less trouble to launder. Do not have them over 
one and a quarter inches wide finished. More like 




INS 



DECORATIVE STITCHES FOR JOINING SEAMS 



a frill they are than a ruffle. Roll and whip the 
unattached edge. A nice touch is to whip one 
way with colored embroidery cotton and then 
back again the opposite direction. Or crochet 
a picot edge directly to the frill. But the most 
fascinating finish of all is a single loop tatting 
whipped to the edge. However, that is getting 
into laces, and they were not to be considered in 
three ways for self-trimming lingerie. 

It is easier not to join frills and garment until 



FINISHES FOR LINGERIE 



55 



both are finished. Then roll and whip the un- 
trimmed edge of the frill and draw it up ever so 
slightly — just enough to emphasize the roll be- 
tween each whipping-stitch. Next roll the gar- 
ment edge an inch at a time, and whip the frill 




AN EFFECTIVE EDGE THAT IS EASILY MADE 



to it with a stitch that catches under only a few 
threads of the frill roll, but passes completely 
around the roll of the garment. 

The "open-seam" stitches illustrated in the 
diagrams may also be used to join frill and gar- 
ment with a pretty effect that is rapidly got. 
Work them either in white or in a color like that 
used on the rolled hem of the frill. The stitches 
are so simple that the diagrams explain them 
without further words. Both the edge of the 



56 HOME CRAFTS 

garment and the edge of the frill should be rolled 
for a space of three or four inches and then joined 
for that distance, then a little more rolling fol- 
lowed by the joinery stitch. Heavy hard-twist 
cotton must be used; regular embroidery cotton or 
just a very coarse sewing-thread will answer. 

Decorative little yokes and bands may be made 
by a combination of the "open-seam" stitches 
and narrow bands of the material. The latter 
must not be more than three-eighths of an inch 
wide. Cut the strips for them on the straight 
of the goods — unless the yoke is curved — and cut 
them twice the finished width plus seams. Stitch 
the edges of the strips together on the machine 
and turn this long, narrow tube right side out by 
sewing one open end to a bodkin and then running 
the latter through the tube. Press the bands be- 
fore attempting to join them, and have the seam 
come on an edge in the pressing. 

One of the joinery stitches is nothing but the 
embroidery buttonhole, that same useful stitch 
that one finds applied in a hundred and one forms. 
Rarely does a piece of French lingerie have its 
lace edge or medallions set into the material in 
any other way than with a close buttonhole-stitch. 
Undoubtedly that is the greater part of the secret 
of their daintiness. All raw edges or double seams 
between lace and cloth are eliminated, and the 
narrow ridge of buttonholing that takes their 
place is really an additional embellishment. 

Another way the French needlewomen achieve 



FINISHES FOR LINGERIE 



57 



the daintiness of their work is by using the finest 
quality of embroidery hemstitching, " entre deux" 
for joining seams or wherever the buttonhole 
joinery would not be practical. And this they 
apply to the gar- 
ment with a nar- 
row whipped 
seam, never a 
double one like a 
French seam. 
Though neat, that 
would be far too 
wide and heavy. 

The Venetian 
ladder stitch 
shows another 
application of the 
buttonhole-stitch . 
The little bars 
are a ribbon 
run as well as a 
decoration. This 
and the pointed edge both come from Italian 
lace and cut work, which is, by the way, a good 
place to look for trimming-stitches for all manner 
of purposes. Most libraries have at least one or 
two books with lace plates, and if nothing better 
can be had, the bound numbers of household 
magazines. They frequently print "lace pages" 
containing excellent examples clearly reproduced. 

And in speaking of laces, what about laces as 




NEEDLE IN POSITION FOR MAKING 

THE BAR IN THE VENETIAN LADDER 

STITCH WORK WITH BLUNT END 

FIRST 



58 HOME CRAFTS 

a practical underwear trimming? Yes, if they 
are the heavy kind like Cluny, torchon, Maltese, 
and Irish crochet; but no, if they are on fine nets 
like Valenciennes. One feminine economist de- 
cided that it would be a better investment for 
her to buy French embroidered lingerie — and 
every woman knows it costs — rather than spend 
time and money mending or replacing laces on 
partly worn garments. However, that statement 
is too inclusive. The linen laces do wear very 
well, and need not be the heavy kind to give good 
service. 

Lace does require more time to apply than 
embroidery edging, because a lace should be put 
on by hand. The machine never gives it quite 
the right "look." And another thing, beware of 
too much fullness in a lace edge. Nothing steals 
away the airy lightness of a lace-trimmed bit than 
too much ruffling of the lace. Just a little more 
than ease it on, and that will be fullness aplenty. 
There is a heavy thread along the edge of ma- 
chine-made laces with which to draw them up. 

And finally, when all the rest is finished, come 
the buttons and buttonholes, unless it is one of 
those "slip-overs" that do not have either. The 
trouble one has when making a buttonhole in 
lingerie is usually due to the fine, soft material — 
a difficult body to make firm stitches on unless 
they are deep — and that will not do because 
the buttonhole would be clumsy. A good plan 
is to baste a strip of firm material to the under 



FINISHES FOR LINGERIE 59 

side of the sheer stuff, work the buttonholes 
through both, and when all of them are finished 
cut the firm material away, cutting close against 
the stitches. Another point, buttonholes are 
easier to make, are improved in appearance, and 
wear quite as well when made of fine thread. 
Also use a needle as fine as possible. 

The four-holed pearl button without ornamen- 
tal cutting is the typical underwear variety, un- 
less one can get the linen kind that is washable. 
They are made of fine collar-linen stretched over 
a bone or composition foundation. Those with 
metal base are not safe in the long run, as the 
protecting coat of the metal wears off, and rust 
soon comes through the linen cover on to the 
garment. When buying pearl buttons make a 
point of getting the same style every time and 
your underwear will always be fastened with 
matched buttons. 



VII 

MACRAME KNOTTING AND NETTING 

MACRAME is a variety of knotted handwork 
that originated under the deft fingers of the 
Arabian women, but now it may be found tied 
in the knots and fringes of every country. The 
needlework in Italy is fairly knotted together 
with it. Every little linen-shop along the Arno 
in Florence displays among its choicest wares 
bags both plain and embroidered with seams 
macramed together. A favorite form for these 
bags is four-sided, pointed, with a tassel at the 
end. They are not unlike the ecclesiastical miter 
and no doubt the pious Italian needlewoman got 
her inspiration at high mass from the hat of the 
church dignitary. There are also long, rectangu- 
lar pillow-covers that have ends banded by inset 
strips of macrame. Such covers are especially cool 
and attractive over the chaise-longue cushions in 
summer. Linen sets for the dressing-table, con- 
sisting of a long pin-pad that has an inch-wide 
macrame band uniting the top and bottom linen 
slip-covers and a scarf of the same material 



MACRAME 



61 



decorated by end strips of macrame, are among 
the practical articles that one may see. Even 
dainty caps for infants are macrame knotted of 
linen thread by the skilful Florentine. 

The type of design that is possible with mac- 
rame is limited to geometric forms by the nature 
of the work, but the variety of patterns has only 



mm 




THIS SHOWS THE BAND OF MESHING WITH THE BAND OF 
MACRAME BELOW IT. A SECOND BAND OF MESHING MUST 
BE WORKED TO COMPLETE THE WIDTH OF THE INSERTION 



the ingenuity of the worker for its limitation. 
And their interest depends upon her critical 
spacing. A recipe for the latter is, of course, 
impossible, but a very safe guide is this: avoid 
obvious divisions. If a band of macrame for an 
inset is to be made, plan it so that its width and 
that of the hem above which it is put are not the 
same, or the one just half of the other. Also 
5 



62 



HOME CRAFTS 



avoid the obvious when spacing the pattern in 
the macrame itself. One may, however, go to 
the other extreme, getting in too much variety 
or not enough contrast between the widest and 
the narrowest spaces, and that means a con- 




EACH CORD THAT IS CAST ON MAKES TWO WORKING 
ENDS. THE TWO BEADS FORMING ONE MACRAME 
KNOT ARE SHOWN ON THE SECOND FOUNDATION CORD 



fused effect. A preliminary spacing on paper of 
the whole decoration before beginning the actual 
work helps one to a clearer vision of its propor- 
tions. 

The easiest way to learn macrame is by doing 
it, so the doing of the diagramed motif is here ex- 
plained. Start with a four-inch length of cord 
for a foundation cord on which to work. Stretch 
it taut on a board or cushion. The latter should 
be stuffed solid and mounted on a wooden base. 
A cushion of that kind would, of course, have 
to be made especially for macrame work, and 
should be about eighteen inches long and ten 



MACRAME 63 

inches wide, so that it will be possible to work 
large pieces on it. However, a smooth board 
and a dozen small tacks for securing the founda- 
tion ends do very well. 

For the first practice piece of macrame any 
firm cord will answer. The special kinds are told 
about a little further on. When the foundation 
cord is fastened at each end "cast on" ten working 
cords each thirty inches long. The way to cast 
on is shown in a detail of the diagram, which also 
shows how each cord makes two working ends; 
so that with the ten cords there are twenty 
working ends. Stretch another cord below the 
first and knot each end on to it with a macrame 
knot, pulling them up close so that the second 
foundation cord lies against the first. The de- 
tail of the knot is shown in the diagram. 

Then comes a half -inch of "meshing." The 
knot that is used for this is also shown by a 
detail diagram. Four threads are used for each 
knot, making five knots horizontally across the 
work. When these are completed make another 
horizontal row below the first, skipping the first 
two working cords and omitting the last two. 
That will mean only four knots in the second row. 
Then there must be a third row, using all of the 
cords and having five knots across. This unit of 
macrame is, of course, intended to be repeated in 
order to make a band with it, and the meshing 
is then more effective. But for the saving of 
space only one unit is illustrated. 



6 4 



HOME CRAFTS 



y///m//m\\v% v&wwfflm 



When the meshing is knotted its lower edge 
must be finished by a foundation cord. Then 
the point is reached where the macrame, pattern 
may be made. Divide the twenty working cords 
into three groups, eight cords to each outside 

group and four in the 
middle. Make a bar 
of the four cords by 
knotting the two on 
the outside over the 
two in the center with 
the same knot that 
was used in the mesh. 
This simple knot, by 
the way, comes from 
sailor's cording, and 
they have given it the 
wise - sounding name 
of Solomon's knot. 
Each group of eight 
cords is treated in the same way, therefore 
the knotting of only one group of eight will 
be explained. Divide it through the middle 
and take the inside cord of the four cords on 
the right in the left hand. Hold it taut and 
on the slant, and knot the four cords of the left 
side over it with macrame knots. The slanted 
cord is, it will be seen, acting as a foundation 
cord, but when one of the working ends is used 
in this way it is called a "leader." 

Next use the inside cord of the group of four 




KNOT USED FOR THE MESH- 
ING AS WELL AS FOR THE BAR 



MACRAME 65 

cords on the left for a leader, slant it toward 
the right and knot the remaining three cords of 
that group over it. Then hold the inside cord of the 
four on the right in the left hand again and knot 
the four ends of the left group over it. Continue 
working from one side to the other in this way 
until the work is the depth desired. In the dia- 
gramed pattern only five ridges of macrame were 
made. The bar of Solomon's knots in the center 
must be the same depth. The group of eight 
cords on the other side of it is worked exactly 
like the group just described, and then the mac- 
rame pattern is finished with a foundation cord, 
followed by a band of meshing, and still another 
foundation cord. The short working ends will 
hang below this last cord, but may be concealed 
inside the hem when the strip of macrame is 
applied. 

A special cord is manufactured for macrame, 
usually from cotton. It is made four or more 
ply with an extra hard twist that is supposed to 
have the special virtue of bringing out each knot 
distinct. Such cord is very well where a harsh 
surface is not objectionable, but unless the work 
is heavy that quality is undesirable. Italian 
macrame is made of a linen cord (for fine work 
linen thread), which is firm but has a smooth 
surface and is so well finished that it does not 
rough up in the working. It is more satisfactory 
for the majority of work than the kind known as 
* ' macrame cord. ' ' Most embroidery- supply shops 



66 HOME CRAFTS 

carry something similar to the Italian cord. Be 
sure to get a kind that will not fuzz in the han- 
dling, will remain round, and yet is not very hard- 
twisted. 

But the use of macram6 is not confined to 
household linens. Porch cushions, hangings for 
the mountain bungalow, and a cover for the 
couch all of burlap, arras cloth, or monk's cloth, 
would be transformed from the commonplace 
into draperies with character by wide bands (at 
least five inches wide) of macrame made with 
jute. Use the three- or four-ply one-eighth-inch- 
thick jute and dye it either the same color or a 
color that is a pleasant contrast with that of the 
cloth. 

In a collection of old-time bell-pulls, among the 
many of tapestry were several knotted in mac- 
rame with heavy silk cord. And in old English 
houses the shades ai;e still drawn at night by a 
long-looped band of macrame made an inch or 
more wide of fine linen cord. Some of them, in- 
stead of looping up, end in a large tassel fashioned 
out of knots. 

For these tassels and, indeed, not only the 
tassels on English curtain bands, but tassels for 
every purpose and from every country, even 
those from Turkey and especially the elaborate 
Chinese tassels, all are sure to have the trefoil 
knot or some variation of it in their construction. 
The first diagram shows how to tie the founda- 
tion of this knot, and the arrow indicates where 




EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ITALIAN MACRAME, WITH SIMPLE, WELL- 
SPACED PATTERN 



MACRAME 



67 



the working end must continue in order to make 
a little band like the second diagram. Each time 
that the original four loops of the knot are fol- 
lowed around with the working cord it adds to 





SHOWING HOW THE TREFOIL 
KNOT IS STARTED 



A CONVENIENT WAY TO 

SHAPE A BAND MADE FROM 

TREFOIL KNOT 



the width of the band. A convenient way to 
keep it round and open is to work it over a lead- 
pencil, or a rod of wider diameter if necessary. 

Caps for topping tassels can also be made with 
the trefoil knot. It is done just as the band was 
made, but allowing only one opening to form in- 
stead of two. And when both openings are 
closed a ball may be made. For little ball-drops 
slip a wooden bead inside of the balls for their 
foundation. The beads are washable and may 
be used in ball-drops for tea-cloths or other dining- 
room linens. 



68 



HOME CRAFTS 




Each petal for the tassel with the three-leafed 
cap is made with a trefoil-knot foundation. The 
detail diagram next to the finished tassel shows 
how to start a leaf of the cap. Make the three 

leaves separately 
and tack them to- 
gether with a few 
stitches at the top. 
The ends may be 
concealed by slip- 
ping them inside 
the cap. The 
cord of the tassel 
itself bring up 
through the open- 
ing at the top be- 
tween the leaf cap, 
and for a finish 
slip a trefoil band 
over it. 

The tassel part 
is easily made. 
Cut a stiff piece 
of cardboard as 
wide as the depth 
of the tassel and 
wind it with the 
linen, silk, or tinsel 
thread — whatever the tassel is to be — until there 
is enough thread on the card to make it the re- 
quired thickness. Then slip a strong thread be- 



A SIMPLE TASSEL WITH A THREE- 
PETAL CAP MADE OF KNOTTED 
CORD. THE SMALL DIAGRAM 
SHOWS HOW EACH PETAL IS MADE 



MACRAME 69 

tween the card and its wrapping, tie it tightly 
around the wrapped thread, and slip the latter 
off of the card. Tie the tassel again below the 
first tying, wrapping the tying thread about it 
several times, and then cut the bottom loops of 
the tassel. 

The best effect in macrame does not depend 
upon elaborate and involved construction, nor 
upon the variety of knots in a piece of work. 
One is more sure of a unified whole if only one 
kind of knot is used to develop the entire idea — 
surely never more than two kinds, and then one 
must dominate the other. A piece of knotting 
with many turns and twists is apt to be tiring 
instead of interesting. Simple construction, the 
introduction of not more than two contrasted 
textures, and well-related spaces go far toward 
a happy finish. 



VIII 

FROM RUSHES TO CHAIR SEATS 

"\ \ THAT shall we do when the rushed seat 
V V in that old chair is completely worn 
through?" 

Why, rush it yourself. If you live near a 
marshy place where the rushes grow they can 
be gathered, cured, and the chair re-rushed all in 
your own home. 

The time to gather rushes is late in July; and 
a barn loft is the best place for drying them, be- 
cause they can be spread on the floor, permitting 
a good circulation of air around them without 
exposure to the sun's direct rays. Wherever 
they are dried some precaution against sun- 
scorching must be taken, and they must also be 
turned occasionally, so that all parts of the long 
leaves will dry evenly. This will take a week, 
perhaps longer, depending upon the dampness 
of the atmosphere. When thoroughly cured 
they will be changed from their original bright 
green to a dull-yellow green, and their texture 
will be rather brittle — too brittle to be twisted 
into the long rushing rolls. 



FROM RUSHES TO CHAIR SEATS 71 

So the night before the chair is to be rushed, 
two big armfuls of rushes (that is^about the quan- 
tity for an ordinary-sized seat) must be " damp- 
ened down." A big piece of canvas, or several 
sacks, or even some old sheets, will do for this. 
Whatever is used should be wrung out of hot 
water. While this is still steaming, the rushes 
are spread out on it and the cloth rolled up like 
a jelly roll. The bundle must then be put into 
a closet or some air-tight place overnight. The 
idea is to get the rushes evenly dampened but 
not water-soaked. 

However, even with this much care it is best 
to squeeze out superfluous water and the air 
before commencing the seat. The squeezing proc- 
ess is simply pressing a blunt-edged stick against 
the rush from stem to tip end. The air usually 
leaves with a snap. And if the leaf is thoroughly 
prepared it will have an elastic quality. It is 
wise not to prepare the entire dampened bundle 
before beginning the real work, because after 
the leaves are squeezed they dry quickly, and the 
last might be too dry for finishing the work. 

Three rushes twisted together make a medium- 
heavy roll. Be sure to place stem and tip ends 
together so as to equalize the thickness through- 
out the entire work. The twist that is given 
should be long and smooth, never short and 
abrupt. To begin with, twist about six inches 
and start the work in the upper right corner of 
the frame by laying the twisted end over the 



72 HOME CRAFTS 

frame of the chair, end pointing through the seat. 
Bring the twisted roll around under the frame 
and to the right, passing over and around the 
right side of the frame close to the corner and 
across to the left side. The beginning end is held 
tight against the corner by this time, and the roll 
will be just long enough to go over and around 
the left side of the frame. The first half of the 
illustration shows this much of the work. 

Now three new rushes must be tied on. The 
old and new ends are allowed to stick out on the 
under side, and are not cut close until the seating 
is finished. A splicing of this kind will occur 
at every corner. The stubby ends will form a 
line from each corner to the center on the under 
side of the finished seat. Be sure to twist the 
rushes evenly at the corners, but the stretch 
from side to side need not be twisted at all. 

As the work progresses pockets will develop 
at each corner both on the upper and on the under 
side of the seat. When the rushing reaches about 
one-fourth of the way across it is time to pad 
these pockets with the heavy or irregular ends of 
rush that were discarded when making the roll. 
These pieces should be laid parallel across the 
frame with their ends tucked into the pockets 
on the upper side of the seat. The padding is 
put in to prevent the seat from sagging. It is 
not necessary to pad both top and bottom if the 
top is padded quite firm. 

Most chair seats are narrower one way than 




RUSHING THE START 




FILLING IN THE CENTER 



74 HOME CRAFTS 

the other; hence the rushing on the narrow side 
will meet while there is still a space on the wide 
side. This space is rushed with a figure-eight 
motion. Quite simple, as the second half of the 
illustration shows. 

Really, the only hard part about putting a new 
rushed seat in that old chair will be the aching 
arms and blistered hands it will surely leave. 
And, of course, it must all be done in one day. 
No night rest and a fresh attack in the morning, 
because in the mean time the part already rushed 
will shrink and loosen. An old man who knows 
all about rushing from the time the rushes shoot 
up in the spring to the time when they get their 
last preserving coat on the finished chair, was 
once asked how long it ought to take an experi- 
enced rusher to do a seat, and he replied, "I 
think I can do better seating of rushed chairs 
now than I could fifty years ago, and all I will 
seat is one in a day." And then he added: 
"But you want to understand that this will be 
a fine seat that will not settle — always the same 
until broken." 

The seats are far more attractive if left the 
natural rush color, but something should be done 
to protect the rushes. Several coats of flat-finish 
varnish will preserve them without making the 
seat shiny. Of course, our great-grandmothers 
used to paint their rushed seats. But then the 
whole chair was usually painted too. 

Paint is a good finish to apply to the various 



FROM RUSHES TO CHAIR SEATS 75 

rush substitutes, such as heavy jute cord and the 
prepared rolls that can be bought for rushing. 
A six-ply jute cord makes a satisfactory "rush" 
seat, Instead of painting the finished seat the 
jute can be dyed before working it, and one has 
the advantage here of making it possible to 
carry out some cherished color scheme. It is, of 
course, a much easier process, as there is no damp- 
ening to be done, and the work can be left at 
any point and taken up at will. Down South the 
mountain folks use corn-husks for their rushing, 
and get very good results with a mixture of yellow 
and reddish husks. 



IX 

CANING CHAIRS AND OTHER USES FOR CANE 

CANE is manufactured in five or six widths, 
so that the first thing to do in preparing to 
cane a chair is to decide what width is needed 
for the new seat, in case there is nothing left of 
the old seat for a sample. The width to choose 
depends on two things — the diameter of the holes 
in the chair rim that are to receive the cane, 
and their distance apart. If the holes are one- 
fourth inch in diameter they are large enough 
for the widest cane. But if they are close to- 
gether as well as large, the widest cane will make 
an unpleasantly thick -looking piece of weaving. 
A medium- width or even finer cane will be more 
satisfactory in appearance and quite as strong. 
Indeed, the finest width is the most attractive 
of all when woven, if the holes are very close 
together. When a seat is designed for the finest 
caning, the holes are bored around the rim in a 
zigzag line. Much of the fine old French furni- 
ture was caned in this way, and finished without 
a binder. 



CANING CHAIRS 77 

The binder is a wide, heavy piece of cane that 
is sewed down over the holes to hide them after 
the seat caning is in. Binder comes in two widths 
only. The width and also the length needed can 
be easily measured. It is not so easy, however, 
to determine the necessary quantity of cane. 
The latter is cut in lengths of from twelve to 
twenty feet, for commercial purposes. Every 
chair caned with the simple cane pattern has six 
layers of cane crossing it when finished — four at 
right angles and two diagonal layers. To esti- 
mate fairly close how much cane will be needed, 
measure the distances across the chair in all three 
directions and multiply each of these by twice 
the number of holes on either side of the seat. 
Each hole means two rows of cane running paral- 
lel to the chair rim, and two diagonal rows. The 
sum of these three figures will approximate the 
number of feet of cane needed. But be sure to 
buy two extra lengths for good measure, and a 
third length for sewing on the binder. The aver- 
age chair seat requires about three hundred feet 
of cane. 

Cane is sold from the factory by the thousand- 
foot bundle — nothing less. Furniture dealers and 
repairers of furniture will usually sell it in the 
small quantities needed for a single seat. 

The only necessary tools are a half-dozen 

wooden pegs that will fit the holes in the chair 

rim snugly. These can be whittled by the home 

chair-caner or she can use some of the wooden 
6 



78 HOME CRAFTS 

skewers with which the butcher dresses the 
roast. 

Soak the cane in warm water until it can be 
bent without cracking, usually about ten minutes. 
Then, with the chair squarely in front of you, 
find the middle hole of the near rim and secure 
one end of a length of cane in it with a peg. 
Allow three inches of this end to stick out through 
the bottom of the hole. Carry the length of cane 
across the seat, put the end down through the 
hole exactly opposite the hole in the near rim, and 
bring it up again through the first hole on the 
right. Peg in this hole to hold the cane. Now 
carry the cane across to the near rim, put it down 
through the first empty hole, and bring it to the 
top through the next hole to the right. Remove 
the peg from the hole in the far rim and fasten 
with it the cane coming from the hole in the 
near rim. Continue back and forth across the 
chair in this way until the entire right half of 
the chair seat is covered. There are two things 
to remember — to keep the tension even and not 
to keep it tight. Keep the rows of cane parallel, 
even if a hole must be skipped in order to do so. 
A skip is sometimes inevitable when the back 
corners of the seat are rounded and those in 
front are not. 

When the right half of the chair is stretched 
with cane, leave the remainder of the cane hang- 
ing from the last hole and peg it there. Use a 
new length of cane and cover the left side of the 



CANING CHAIRS 79 

seat, starting in the first hole to the left of the 
one from which the three-inch end is hanging. 
Tie this end and the end of the new length to- 
gether with a flat knot. Wet the old end until 
it is pliable before attempting to tie to the new 
length. A cloth or sponge can be used for this 
purpose. It is also necessary to redampen the 
cane while working with it, as it becomes brittle 
when dry and is liable to snap off. 

After one layer of cane is in the seat, stretch a 
second layer over it at right angles. Use the 
same method as was used when putting in the 
first layer. When this second layer of cane is 
completed, stretch a third across the second at 
right angles to it and parallel with the first layer. 

The seat is then ready for layer number four. 
This one runs parallel to the second, but must 
be woven in, going over the strands of cane that 
layer number two goes under, and under those 
strands that the second layer goes over. This 
fourth layer of cane will tighten the work. 

Next come the diagonals. Use the long ends of 
cane left hanging from the holes on each side of 
the corner when the former layers were stretched 
in. Cane one-half of the seat at a time, just as 
before, but now it will be a diagonal half. Start- 
ing with a long end of cane hanging from the hole 
to the right of one of the seat corners, bring it 
up through the corner hole and weave it diago- 
nally across the seat, going over the paired groups 
of cane that cross in one direction and going under 



8o 



HOME CRAFTS 



the paired groups that cross the seat in the oppo- 
site direction. These diagonal strands of cane 
should slip in between the lengths of cane where 
they cross at right angles, as shown in the diagram. 
When one layer of diagonal weaving is in, 
weave in a second layer at right angles across it, 




THE DIAGONALS MUST SLIP CLOSE AGAINST THE LITTLE 
SQUARES FORMED BY THE FIRST FOUR LAYERS OF CANE 

weaving over the groups that the first diagonals 
wove under, and vice versa. Tie all ends together 
with the flat knot and cut them off close. If it 
should be necessary to piece the cane, do it with 
the same kind of a knot and have the knot come 
on the under side of the chair rim just as the 
other tyings did. 

The work is now ready for the binder, which 



CANING CHAIRS 81 

must be soaked until it is very pliable before it 
is used. Shave one end thin and lay it over the 
holes near the center of the back rim of the seat. 
The piece of cane with which the binder is to 
be sewed in place must also be soaked. Start to 
sew on the binder about three inches to the left 
of its end. Bring the sewing-cane up through a 
hole from the under side, cross the binder, and 
put the cane down again through the same hole. 
Pull hard. If the holes are close together skip 
one and come up through the third hole to the 
left on the same side of the binder as before, 
cross the binder and go down through the same 
hole. Pull the sewing-cane very tight and be 
sure the binder lies smooth over the holes in the 
rim. Work all around the chair seat in this 
way and finish by lapping the binder three inches. 
Shave the finishing end thin, just as was done 
to the beginning end, so the three-inch lap will 
be no thicker than the rest of the work. Tuck 
the ends of the sewing-cane around some of the 
cross-stitches of cane on the under side of the 
frame to secure them and cut them off. 

Chairs are not the only articles that can be 
restored to usefulness in the household by caning. 
A most serviceable and attractive tray can be 
made out of an old picture-frame, especially 
from the oval kind that linger on in the attic 
since Victorian days. Any carpenter will bore 
the necessary holes for the cane around the 
inner edge. If the wood is in good condition a 



82 HOME CRAFTS 

thorough rubbing with boiled linseed oil will 
bring back a surface that has become dingy. 
If, however, the frame is battered, rub it with 
sandpaper, starting with a coarse grade and fin- 
ishing with the finest. Be sure to rub with the 
grain of the wood. After the sandpaper treat- 
ment, either a good wood stain and then waxing, 
or two coats of flat-gloss carriage paint, will pro- 
duce a result that is well worth the labor. 

The cane should not be woven into the tray 
until the frame is refinished. Usually it is more 
attractive if left its natural color. But if the 
frame is very dark there may be an unpleasantly 
sharp contrast between the rim and the caned 
center. In that case the cane can be dipped in 
a dye bath. Commercial dyes marked, " cotton' ' 
will do if the special dye for cane, raffia, jute, 
and reed cannot be had. 

When the tray is caned glue a layer of felt or 
heavy broadcloth over the rim on the under 
side, so that the ends of the cane will not scratch 
a polished surface. Handles are a matter of 
design. Some trays are complete in appearance 
without handles, and quite as convenient. Most 
hardware-stores, or hardware sections of depart- 
ment stores, carry handles of either all brass or 
brass and wood. 

Reclaiming an old wooden bedstead with cane 
is somewhat more ambitious, but not out of the 
reach of the home caner if she has the advice 
and assistance of a good carpenter. The entire 



CANING CHAIRS 83 

head and foot must be cut away, leaving only a 
structural frame about three or four inches wide. 
The caning must be done on separate rims that 
are then fitted into the openings. It will be 
necessary to have two rims for the foot end. 
These must be fitted in with their wrong sides 
together, so that both back and front of the foot 
will present a finished surface. 

A caned window-seat for breakfast-room, hall, 
or small waiting-room is more sanitary than the 
usual upholstered kind, and a bit finer in appear- 
ance than the uncushioned wood. Have a car- 
penter make the seat ready for caning, but do 
not let him fit it into place until after the cane is 
woven in. The work can then be done out of 
doors or in a more convenient place and in the 
worker's leisure moments. 



X 

BASKET-PLANNING IN GENERAL 

BASKETS have so long been the place for all 
the hundred and one small things of the 
household, including even the baby, that the 
old maxim for order might well read, "A basket 
for everything and everything in its basket." Of 
course, a basket that is made for the service that 
it must render will usually do it better than one 
bought in a department store and adjusted to the 
purpose. And in the making, from gathering the 
materials to the last touch of color, there is the 
pleasure that comes with all creative work. 

Almost any tough vine or grass can be woven 
or sewed into a basket of some kind. The only 
requirement besides toughness is length. Wild 
honeysuckle- and grape-vine, shoots from willows 
that grow near rivers and in marshy places, 
splints of ash and the inner bark peeled from a 
hickory sapling — all can be woven into the 
sturdy, stiff kind of basket. This is the kind 
that is so useful in the garden for keeping trowel, 
pruning-shears, and gloves from straying apart, 



BASKET-PLANNING IN GENERAL 85 

or on the hearth to hold a supply of wood and 
pine cones for the open fire. 

The smaller baskets that have lighter tasks 
expected of them can be made with good results 
of the delicate willows and vine shoots or from 
rolls of corn-husk, using some red husks with 
the yellow for streaks of color. Square baskets 
woven of rushes present an interesting checker- 
board surface. 

But whatever the material, it should be suit- 
able for the kind of usage the basket is to have. 
A work-basket intended to hold delicate stuffs 
is not useful if woven of rough hickory bark. 
Though that is not such a common mistake as 
the wood-basket woven of too fine reed or willow. 
It can, of course, be braced to make it physically 
strong enough, but it will look too delicate for 
its service. The completely successful basket is 
not only satisfactory in service, but looks as if 
it could be used for what it is intended. And to 
get this convincing "look" in a piece of basketry 
the weaver must select materials that are similar in 
character to the kind of work the basket is to do. 

For those who have not the opportunity to 
gather their own materials, but who have to buy 
them, there is quite an assortment from which 
to choose, so basket and purpose need never be 
at variance because of meagerness of choice. The 
large family of rattan that includes reed, flats, 
ovals, reed windings, and cane, offer a range from 
which can be made a basket for nearly any pur- 



86 HOME CRAFTS 

pose. These plus raffia free a weaver in the city 
from any limitations except the pleasure of the 
outdoor gathering and drying of her own supply. 
Rattan is the generic name for all the trade prod- 
ucts of the one source. It is also a specific com- 
mercial name for the long, slender, vine-like stem 
before it has been peeled or finished. The sili- 
cious outer coat and surface irregularities make 
this material very stiff, less pervious to water, and 
rather difficult to control when weaving. But 
baskets woven of it are admirably strong, with 
a pleasing irregularity of surface and a rustic, 
sturdy look that can never be got with reed or 
the other products of rattan origin that have 
been machine-peeled and finished. It does not 
"take" stain and dye readily or well, but it 
really need never be artificially colored, because 
it has naturally a pleasing mottled and streaked 
warm-gray tone. Unlike the finished products, 
rattan is not sold by the pound in assorted sizes, 
but by the bundle containing a variety of thick- 
nesses. The number of pounds to the bundle de- 
pends on the particular tradesman who puts it up. 
Reed is a round, machine-cut product that is 
manufactured in about twelve different diam- 
eters, from oo, the finest and most expensive, 
to a size that measures one-half inch across. 
The numerical indicators differ somewhat with 
the factory, but sample cards and prices are sent 
out on request. However, a factory will not, as 
a rule, sell in small quantities of two or three 



BASKET-PLANNING IN GENERAL 87 

pounds. If the local department stores do not 
have the material in stock (usually in the toy 
department), and will not order it, an order can 
be placed through a chair-caner or florist. The 
latter uses raffia for tying his plants, and not in- 
frequently the wholesale dealer from whom he 
gets his supply carries rattan and its products 
also. 

Now briefly to go over the other rattan prod- 
ucts mentioned above. Flats is a rather rough- 
surfaced form, flat on both sides, and made in 
two widths, one-quarter and one-half inch. The 
lengths vary from ten to fifteen feet. It is hardly 
stiff enough to use for a basket that is to have 
knock-about usage. A waste-paper basket is the 
limitation of its strength. "Ovals" are similar 
to flats, but have one slightly rounded surface. 
"Reed winding" is also a flat product with one 
rounded surface, but of a better quality than 
ovals, and made in three widths, the finest about 
one-eighth of an inch broad and the widest not 
more than one-quarter inch in width. It is much 
too pliable for anything but weavers, and re- 
quires a foundation or " spokes" of flats or reed. 
The use of cane in chair seats for so many 
years has made every one familiar with its text- 
ure. Like reed winding, it needs support when 
used for basketry. However, attractive candle- 
shades can be made of it without much more 
support than the wire foundation frame to which 
the lining is fastened, Directions for making one 



88 HOME CRAFTS 

of these cane shades follows in the next chapter, 
on Basket Construction. 

After selecting suitable material for the basket 
the next thing to plan is the form. To be sure, 
its purpose dictates its form in a measure, but 
the material limits it even more. A basket 
woven of stiff material that does not lend itself 
to bending easily can never have sharp curves 
without appearing contorted when finished, and 
as if in constant anguish. But it does not follow 
that the more pliable the material the more 
curved and fanciful can be the basket woven of it. 
Far better to limit the silhouette of the basket to 
one curve or angle — two at the most, with the 
second always subordinate to the first. But 
place this dominant curve in exactly the right 
position in relation to the height of the basket 
and have it just the right size in relation to the 
width of the basket. For example, a basket in 
which the curve comes half-way between base 
and top is never so pleasing in silhouette as one 
in which the curve does not make such an obvious 
division of its height. Even or compass-like 
curves are never so interesting as those that are 
a bit straighter above or below their deepest 
point. And for the same reason barrel forms 
are never good. So it is not the number of ins 
and outs of the outline that takes a basket out 
of the commonplace, but elimination and studied 
spacing. 

Restraint is also a safe guide in planning the 



BASKET-PLANNING IN GENERAL 89 

variety of weaves to be introduced. Here, as 
when limiting the curves in the shape, two weaves 
are all one basket can contain without beginning 
to look like a sampler. But the two must be very 
different in their surface effect or the change from 
one to the other gives a disturbed appearance, 
and may even look like a poorly concealed mis- 
take. Yet with such a sharp contrast between 
the weaves something must be done to make one 
dominant. Using more of one than the other 
will do this to some extent, but in order to em- 
phasize the one further, and also to unify the whole 
design of the basket, the dominant weave, the 
center, and the border of the basket should all 
be similar in character. Of course, that is pos- 
sible only when there is a definite center and 
border, as in a round basket woven of stiff ma- 
terial. Most square baskets, however, do not 
have a center or base pattern, but in these the 
border can still be related to the dominant weave 
and so hold together the design. 

That brings up another point in basket design. 
Any structural line or feature should appear strong 
enough to do the thing it is supposed to do as 
well as to be actually strong enough to do it. 
If this visual test is applied to handles, borders, 
and covers and their fastenings, many of the 
twisted and fanciful, contortions that one some- 
times sees on baskets will be avoided. 

But if there is one thing above others that, will 
keep basketry within its successful possibilities 



go HOME CRAFTS 

of design, it is the use of materials before they 
have been through a machine that smooths them 
all down and takes away their basket look. Out 
of home-cut and dried willow switches or grasses 
it is almost mechanically impossible to make a 
/basket that looks as if it were masquerading as 
a vase, or one with handles after a teacup pat- 
tern, or to follow any other unbasket-like fancy. 
The wild materials with all their original spring 
and vitality simply will not take delicate or in- 
tricate curves and twistings. 

Only the most general directions can be given 
for gathering and preparing the wild materials, be- 
cause there is such a variety throughout the 
country. With most grasses the time to cut is 
when they have grown their full length, but be- 
fore they have become the least dried or brittle 
from sun-scorch. A barn loft or other covered 
place where they can be spread out, with a good 
circulation of air about them, but protected from 
the direct rays of the sun, is the best way to 
dry them. They must be turned frequently. 
Willows and vines can be cut at any time. The 
cutting depends only on the size needed. Wil- 
lows in their rustic-looking outside coat are more 
effective for window-boxes and fern-bowls or any 
outdoor basket than after they are peeled and 
stained. And, of course, no one would think of 
trying to improve the color of the yellow and red 
corn-husk that is ready for use for a coiled basket 
just as soon as it is jerked from the dried ear, 



XI 

USEFUL BASKETS OF REED, CANE, AND GRASSES 

RATTAN and the other materials on the mar- 
ket that are made from rattan make per- 
haps the source of basketry supplies that is most 
accessible for the majority of weavers in this 
country, certainly for those who live in a town 
or the city. And for these users of rattan there 
is a group of do's and don'ts that apply to the 
weaving of all baskets from that material. Many 
of them are also applicable to the making of 
baskets from any stiff material. 

First, rattan does have to be wet in order to 
make it pliable enough to bend without cracking. 
However, don't soak the whole lot of it, but only 
those lengths or parts of the lengths that must 
do the bending; as, for instance, to start a center. 
Here only the portion of the material that is to 
be in the center need be soaked. Hot water will 
hasten the softening process. When the spokes 
(the foundation over which the weaving is done) 
must be turned up for the sides or the border 
woven, water may be applied to the work with g, 



92 HOME CRAFTS 

cloth just wherever the bends must be made. 
If it is necessary to keep the place damp, a cloth 
wrung out of hot water may be wrapped around 
the basket like a bandage over the portions that 
must be made pliable. But do not immerse the 
entire basket. And this is why. The material 
swells as it absorbs water, and a basket woven 
of wet rattan is loose after drying and likely to 
be warped as well. Also, each wetting roughens 
the surface and makes the fiber more brittle 
when dry. 

When the base of the basket is finished and 
the sides have to be shaped and woven at the 
same time, the weaver is sometimes embarrassed 
by the lack of enough hands, especially if the 
basket is large and very stiff. It will usually re- 
quire two hands just to hold it down unless some 
mechanical device is used. A good way is to 
fasten the woven base, round or rectangular, to a 
board with quarter-inch- wide tapes. If the base 
is round, the tapes must cross one another over 
the center, and if it is a rectangle, the necessary 
number are fastened across the base in one direc- 
tion and then a second layer at right angles 
over them. For either base enough tapes must 
be used so that the edge of the weaving will not 
lift up between tapes when the spokes are turned 
for the sides. 

The small-headed tacks called gimp tacks are 
best for fastening down the tapes. And they 
should be driven into the board all the way, as 




A USEFUL BASKET OF REED 



USEFUL BASKETS 93 

close as possible to the edge of the weaving. 
Any thick board that is larger than the base of 
the basket will do. A box end is good and can 
be got from the grocer. This simple system of 
tapes not only frees both hands of the worker 
for weaving and shaping the sides, including the 
border, but it will insure a flat base for the basket. 
This is a feature that one is not at all sure of 
when weaving entirely "in the hand." 

Another help in shaping the sides of the basket 
is to tie the spokes together at the top so that 
the tying comes directly above the center of the 
base. If there are many spokes it is usually 
necessary to tie them in groups, taking three or 
four together from opposite sides for each group. 
The spokes may then be pulled out or pushed in 
until they form a skeleton of what the basket 
will be in silhouette. Even if the side of the 
basket is to flare, it is easier to make the turn 
from base to side if the spokes are tied while the 
first two or three rows of side weaving are put in. 

Another advantage in tying the spokes is that 
the weaving can be left at any time without fear 
that the basket will be sprung out of shape by 
sagging spokes or that the latter will get broken. 

If the basket is woven over round rattan and 
is designed to have straight sides, tying alone 
will not insure a right angle between base and 
side. But a small wedge cut out of each spoke 
at the inner point of the bend will make it possible 

to turn the side up perpendicular. 

7 



94 HOME CRAFTS 

One particularly difficult point in shaping the 
weaving, especially of a round basket, is to gauge 
the flare at its start so that the finish will be 
exactly the planned-for width or have the ex- 
pected curve. A full-sized outline of the basket 
drawn in heavy crayon on a sheet of paper can 
be used as a working pattern to check up the weav- 
ing as it is done. By holding the pattern behind 
the work, with its base on a level with that of 
the basket, any divergence in the sides of the 
latter from the pattern outline can be easily 
detected. Of course the outline on paper must 
not be in perspective, but drawn as if at eye-level, 
with straight lines for the top and bottom — not 
ellipses. 

Just one more do and another don't — both for 
the border. Do try to finish it at one time after 
beginning. It will be smoother than a piece- 
work border. And do not cut off the ends after 
the border is finished until the material is dry. 
It shrinks in drying and may get too short to 
hold. This "don't" applies to the cutting and 
trimming off of all ends when using rattan. 

There are just two tools needed in basket- 
making — i. e.y something to cut the reed and a 
long, straight awl. A pair of strong scissors will 
do for the cutting, but pruning-shears make a 
cleaner cut and do it more easily. So it is worth 
while to get them if much weaving is to be done. 
The small, nickeled kind with a spring, sold by 
the name of German pruning-shears, is the best. 



USEFUL BASKETS 95 

Any large hardware-store can supply them and 
also the awl. The latter is for making a start 
under tight bindings, or between close, firm 
weaving into which ends must be tucked for con- 
cealment — or where the foundation of a handle 
must be thrust. It is also useful for straightening 
spokes that get bent during the weaving. By 
the way, one of the nice indications of good work- 
manship in basketry is the character of the 
spokes. A round basket that is symmetrically 
made has spokes that radiate straight from the 
center and are equal distances apart on the same 
circumference. In a square basket they are 
straight and parallel to one another. 

The basket with the star center, shown in the 
illustration, is for gathering flowers or vegetables 
from the kitchen garden. Before the handle is 
added it is only a slightly bowled round tray 
basket, not so difficult to make as one with an 
oval center, and by means of the handle it is 
compressed into the oval form that is more 
practical for holding long-stemmed flowers. 

The original of the illustration was made of 
reed, but it can be copied in willow or any stiff, 
round material. Twenty spokes each forty-eight 
inches long of No. 5 reed are needed for the 
center. These are divided into five groups, and 
in the beginning the four reeds in each group 
are treated as a single spoke, making only five 
spokes for the center. Two of them are crossed, 
marked No. 1 in the diagram, and a third spoke, 



9 6 HOME CRAFTS 

marked No. 2, is crossed over and under an end 
of the first two. Then a fourth spoke is added 
as shown in No. 3 of the diagram. And the fifth 
spoke, marked No. 4, must interlace so as to make 
a pentagon opening each side of which measures 
one and a quarter inches. The center thus far 
will be star-shaped, and to prevent its slipping 
each crossing of the spokes should be tied with 
strong twine or raffia. 

The circumference of the center will now have 
reached such a size that the spoke groups will 
be too far apart to weave over and must, there- 
fore, be divided each into two spokes. Then one 
of the newly divided spokes must cross its first 
neighbor on the right, marked A on the diagram. 
Similar crossings are made with one new spoke 
from each division. Be sure to tie all of these 
crossings as they are made, and then the center 
is ready for weaving. 

Whenever there is an even number of spokes 
to weave over, either two weavers at a time must 
be used, or, using a single weaver, a skip under 
two spokes at each round must be made. For 
this basket two weavers were used, and the first 
two ends were got by doubling one reed. This 
makes a loop beginning — a much less noticeable 
start in an open center than an end would be. 
It is marked X in the diagram. 

Beginning with a loop of No. 3 reed, two and 
a half inches of twisted weave are put in. Upon 
the completion of this much weaving the spokes 



USEFUL BASKETS 



97 



must again be divided, because the circumference 
has grown so large. The division will bring a 
single reed for each spoke, and that would not 
be strong enough to support a basket of this size, 




AN EXPLANATION OF THIS STAR-CENTER DIAGRAM AND 
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE ENTIRE BASKET ARE GIVEN 

IN THE TEXT 



so another No. 5 reed is added alongside of each 
original one. By slipping it down a half-inch 
into the weaving it will be steadied in place while 
the weaving continues. But in order to make a 



9 8 HOME CRAFTS 

decorative feature of the spoke separation, a new 
weave is introduced instead of continuing with 
the twisted weave. " Ribbon weave" consisting 
of bands, each four reeds wide, was used because 
it is similar in appearance to the banded center. 
The ribbon weave is made by weaving the two 
weavers parallel around the basket twice, then 
reversing by slipping under two spokes and re- 
peating the parallel weave for two more rounds. 
When this point is reached the basket must be 
taped to a board, so that from the ribbon weave 
on it may be bowled slightly while five more 
inches of twisted weave are put in. The basket 
is then ready for the border. 

The three rolls of which the border consists 
are made with the spokes, and in the making 
each reed is treated as a separate unit, and no 
longer does team-work with the partner it had 
when acting as a spoke. Starting anywhere on 
the rim, a reed is bent down behind its first two 
neighbors on the right and to the outside of the 
basket. Then the next reed on the right goes 
through the same process behind the first two 
reeds on its right, and so on until the circum- 
ference of the basket has been finished with a 
roll made in this way. A second roll is then made 
with the reeds that now stick out from the edge 
of the basket almost at right angles. The second 
roll should be close against the outside of the 
first one. After it is completed the spokes are 
poked under the two rolls to the inside of the 



USEFUL BASKETS 99 

basket and the third roll made with them. 
When finished the three rolls should lie close to- 
gether, the first in the middle, tho, second out- 
side it, and the third inside. The three together 
make a firm, broad-edged border. 

The handle is made of two half-inch-thick reeds 
as a foundation, each fifty inches long. Six 
inches of this length on each end is forced into 
the weaving of the basket, starting just below the 
outside roll of the basket. It is necessary to 
shave down the reed over this six-inch portion 
that enters the weave in order to allow it to slip 
down more easily. The two foundation reeds are 
five inches apart at the border, but combine to 
form a single handle across the top. Here they 
are held together and completely covered by a 
wrapping of No. 3 reed. The winding of this 
reed is started as a loop around the border at the 
base of one of the foundation reeds, and is wound 
three times around a single reed before it binds 
the two together across the top. It does this 
binding together with three windings, and then 
continues to the opposite border over a single 
reed in three more windings. On reaching the 
border, the winding reed makes a loop around 
it, and returns over the handle close against 
the wrapping just made. Winding the handle 
in this way is continued back and forth until 
the unwrapped space over the middle, where the 
foundation reeds are bound together, equals the 
wrapped space. When this point is reached it is 



ioo HOME CRAFTS 

time to start a new winding, beginning at the 
base of the second foundation reed. The second 
winding will fill in the uncovered portion over the 
center of the handle, and when this is accom- 
plished the handle is finished. The end of the 
winding reed is thrust under the wrappings of the 
handle close to the border and cut off. 

CANDLE-SHADES OF CANE 

Although cane has not many possibilities as a 
material for strong, useful basketry because it 
is too flexible, the candle-shades or small lamp- 
shades that can be made of it are attractive as 
well as useful. The variety of cane manufac- 
tured for finishing and sold by the name of 
' ' binder' ' is better for the purpose than even 
the widest width of weaving cane because it is 
thicker and stiffer. Binder comes in two widths. 
The wider is a little less than one-fourth of an 
inch, and it is this size that must be used for large 
candle-shades. 

A shade six inches high, three and three-quar- 
ters inches in diameter across the top, and twelve 
inches across the bottom, needs thirty strips of 
wide binder each twenty inches long. These 
are divided into five bundles of six strips to each 
bundle. Like cane, binder has a smooth, shiny 
side and a rough side. The strips in each bundle 
must be laid one on top of the other, rough side 
down, and then spread fan shape. A piece of 



USEFUL BASKETS 101 

raffia or strong, fine cord woven over the ends 
will keep the strips spread. 

Here is a most important detail — the strips in 
each bundle must all spread fanwise in the same 




A AND B REPRESENT THE TEMPORARY TYINGS THAT HOLD 
THE TWO BUNDLES OF SIX SPOKES EACH 

direction. If in the first bundle the strips were 
fanned with their top ends to the left and their 
lower ends to the right as the bundle was held 
vertically before the worker, the strips in the 
other bundle must be fanned in the same way. 



io2 HOME CRAFTS 

When the five bundles are spread and secured 
with weaving the actual construction of the 
shade may be started by slipping the lower end 
of the bottom strip of one bundle under the lower 
end of the second from the bottom strips of a 
second bundle. Suppose the bundles are labeled 
A and B, respectively, and their strips numbered 
from one to six, beginning at the top and working 
down. Strip 6 of bundle B must slip under strip 
5 of bundle A. Strip 5, bundle B, must slip 
under strip 4, bundle A, and s6 on until all the 
strips in the two bundles have been interlaced. 
This slipping under once, however, will not be 
firm enough to hold while the third bundle is 
added to bundle B in the same way. Therefore 
it is necessary to interlace or weave the ends of 
bundles A and B further by passing each strip 
of bundle B over the next strip of bundle A. 
The diagram shows bundles A and B held to- 
gether by interlacing in this way. The directions 
sound as if the making would be hard, but it 
really is not. All it requires is methodical treat- 
ment. 

When the five bundles have been interlaced a 
closed circle will be the result. This is the small 
diameter of the shade and should be made the 
right size to put on the holder by pushing to- 
gether the strips. The tying of each bundle that 
held the fan firm must be cut in order to push 
the strips together, and the five-growth centers 
should not be discernible when the circle is com- 



USEFUL BASKETS 103 

plete. A little water applied to the cane around 
the circle will prevent slipping and shifting of 
the strips. 

The band of weaving that circles the shade 
near the top must now be made. It consists of 
three rows of triple weave, using the finest-size 
reed (No. 00) for weavers. It is woven over the 




TRIPLE WEAVE 

strips of binder that point in one direction only. 
It does not make any difference which direction 
is chosen — the object is to have triple weave done 
over thirty spokes instead of sixty. The weaving 
would buckle if done over all of them. The small 
detail diagram shows how triple weave is done. 
After these rows are in the ends of the binder 
are again interlaced until their woven depth is 
five inches. Five rows of triple weave must 
then go in with the No. 00 reed, but this time all 
of the ends of the interlaced strips are included 



io 4 HOME CRAFTS 

as spokes. The shade is then ready for the 
border finish. 

The ends of the cane that extend below the 
five rows of triple weave must be cut off close 
to the weaving. A piece of reed slightly less 
than one-quarter inch in diameter (No. 6) must 
be cut long enough to fit the inner circumference 
of the lower edge of the shade, allowing three 
inches for lap. Shaving the two ends of this 
reed to half its thickness for the space of the three 
inches will avoid a clumsy lapping. It is then 
bound in place against the inner edge of the 
shade with a piece of wide cane or binder that 
has been soaked until very pliable. The bind- 
ing must include the two lower rows of triple 
weave each time it wraps the circumference reed. 
In this way the cut ends of the reed are held 
firmly between reed and weaving. If the wrap- 
ping-cane is pulled tight enough the border will 
never slip off. After binding the edge in one di- 
rection, a second binder worked the opposite 
way will make a crossed pattern on the edge, 
repeating the interlaced design of the body of 
the shade and making the border doubly tight. 

Shaping the shade will probably give the most 
trouble. An inverted bowl used as a mold is 
an assistance, or still better, a round, wooden 
chopping-bowl. The work may be tacked to 
the latter and so held in place while the weaving 
progresses. It is not necessary to have a bowl 
just the dimensions given here for the shade. 



USEFUL BASKETS 105 

With thirty strips for the interlacing spokes the 
lower diameter of the shade may vary as much 
as an inch beyond or below the twelve-inch 
diameter. 

And next comes the lining. But before sug- 
gesting any ways and means for this, a few words 
about the wire frame to which it is fastened may 
be helpful. It consists of at* least two circles of 
wire, one at the top circumference and one at 
the lower, with four or more brace wires between 
them. If the shade is large, or has a flat top, 
the frame should be assembled with more than 
two wire circles. There are specially constructed 
supports for kerosene, gas, or electric lamp shades. 
Most department stores carry the three kinds in 
stock or will order them. 

Usually it is only in the larger cities that one 
finds firms that make a specialty of wire- work 
where frames will be made from given measure- 
ments. A florist who deals in floral pieces should 
be able to furnish the address of the nearest firm 
of this kind. In some department stores the 
lamp department will take orders for them. But 
any hardware dealer who does mending could 
make one if encouraged just a little. 

All of the wires (except those of the attach- 
ment that holds the shade over the light) must 
be wrapped before the frame is covered with the 
lining material. The wrapping makes the wires 
less conspicuous and is a base to which the lining 
can be sewed. Dressmaker's silk binding-ribbon 



io6 HOME CRAFTS 

is best for wrapping, and should match the 
dominant color of the lining if possible. 

Besides the usual China silk there is a variety 
of stuffs that are suitable for shade linings. 
There is chintz. A gay Oriental pattern on a 
black ground would be a particularly good choice 
for lining a shade made of brilliant red cane. 
Dye the cane before the shade is made, and use 
the dye pure. The natural color of the cane will 
gray the red enough, and will also give it a slight 
yellow tone. Among the dress goods one can 
find linings that are both unusual and inexpensive. 
Gingham with yellow and white half -inch checks 
made an effective lining in a brown-cane shade 
for an attic bedroom. It was taken on the bias 
so that the checks were diamonds, and repeated 
the figures made by the interlacing of the cane. 
And, by the way, the curtains for the two small 
windows at either end of the room were of the 
same stuff. 

"Silk" mull, really a silk -and-cotton mixture, 
is good for small shades that need a thin lining. 
And then there are the stiff materials, both cloth 
and paper, such as kid cambric (a calendared 
cotton cloth), wall-paper, Japanese paper-cloth, 
and pineapple tissue. 

Thin materials are applied over the wire frame 
in half-inch-deep folds. The folds are slightly 
less than that width at the wide circumference, 
and gradually get deeper toward the top of the 
frame, where the circumference is narrower. The 



USEFUL BASKETS 107 

top and bottom edges of the lining are turned 
over the wires and sewed down. 

When using stiff materials the lining must be 
made in fitted sections, and the seams of the 
sections should be planned to fall over the verti- 
cal brace wires of the frame, so that the former 
can be slip-stitched to the wrapping of the latter. 
The sections of a paper lining can be lapped and 
pasted. It is possible to join kid cambric with 
paste, too. Both cloth and paper linings must 
be lapped over the top and bottom circle wires 
and sewed or pasted in place. 

Although the inside of the lined shade does not 
show much, it is customary among the best in- 
terior decorators to back the inner surface of 
the covered wire frame. This backing, usually 
thin China silk, is always fitted in smooth, with 
as few sections as possible. The side seams are 
turned under and slip-stitched to the wire wrap- 
pings, and the top and bottom are turned down 
and slip-stitched to the outer lining. Besides 
being a finish, the backing is also an opportunity 
to modify the color of a shade when lighted; for 
instance, the black chintz suggested above may 
supplement a color scheme effectively by day, 
but it would cast a gloom at night. If the shade 
were backed with a strong yellow China silk this 
would be changed to a mellow light. 

This way of making a shade out of cane is 
only one of a number of possible ways. If it 
is for an electric light, no opening at the top is 



108 HOME CRAFTS 

necessary and a basket center may be used at 
the start. Then the shade is simply an inverted 
bowl-shaped basket, and is easier to make than 
the one for which directions are given. The side 
must not be woven its entire depth, else the light 
would be shaded too much. Only enough weav- 
ing to hold the center and another band just 
above the border are necessary. 

Attractive shades for the bungalow porch 
lights can be made on the basket plan with cane. 

THE COILED BASKET MADE OF GRASSES 

The coiled basket is just one of the many 
kinds that can be made from grasses, corn-husks, 
rushes, or any of the long, pliable shoots and 
leaves that may be gathered throughout this 
country from April until October. Among the 
earliest is sweet vernal grass, then comes June 
grass, and when the summer is well on its way 
sedges and other water-grasses flourish luxuriantly 
along the brook and in low, marshy places. 
Down South there are the long pine needles that 
grow in threes from a tiny sheath as if all ready 
for a coil. Although these materials are all soft, 
the finished basket will be stiff and sturdy if the 
coil is held firm and sewed tight. 

The coiled basket belongs to the great family 
of sewed baskets, but, unlike so many others in 
that family, it is not slow or tedious work — 
neither does it require a design or pattern, but 



USEFUL BASKETS 



109 



depends for its interest upon the variation in the 
natural color of the grasses themselves, and for 
its beauty in form upon the symmetry of the 
coiling. Sometimes, to vary the texture, broad 




THE WRAPPED START OF A COILED BASKET 




NEEDLE IN POSITION FOR THE FIRST STITCH IN THE COIL 

strips of corn-husks are worked in with the 
slender grasses. 

But to get started. Take a bundle of the 
dried grasses (the way to dry them was told in 
the chapter on basket-planning) and dampen 

8 



no HOME CRAFTS 

them slightly. A good way is to sprinkle them 
with hot water and allow them to remain rolled 
in a cloth until evenly moist. Then draw 
enough from the bundle to make a small roll, 
one about a quarter of an inch thick, thread a 
heavy needle with a strand of raffia that has been 
dyed to match the grass, and you are ready to 
sew. Both hemp and manila fiber are also used 
for sewing, but they are both fine and cannot be 
used single, so that they are rather troublesome 
to handle. They can be got from shops that 
keep rope and cordage, or from a carpet mender 
and weaver. 

Tie the raffia to the coil very near the thick 
ends of the grasses (the root ends) and wrap the 
raffia around the coil nine times, leaving a space 
between each wrapping as the diagram shows. 
The center of the basket must be formed with 
this wrapped portion by coiling it around tight, 
so that the short end is in the middle and the 
long grasses pass toward the right. To make 
the first stitch bring the threaded raffia over and 
around the grasses and stick the needle diago- 
nally from right to left through the first wrapping- 
stitch. The second diagram shows the needle 
taking the first stitch. This brings the needle 
out on top again, ready to wind around the coil 
and fasten into the second wrapping. Continue 
coiling and sewing, and it will be noticed that 
the stitches form curved lines that radiate from 
the center. When the circumference gets so 



USEFUL BASKETS in 

large that the radii of stitches are too far apart 
to keep the coils firm, extra wrappings around the 
grasses must be made between stitches. The 
next time around these wrappings will be places 
to anchor stitches. The extra wrappings must 
be symmetrically added — that is, one or two be- 
tween every two stitches. 

Making the curve or flare for the side of the 
basket is simply a matter of building the coils 
over one another at just the right angle for each 
successive circumference. A drawing of the form 
helps to keep it more clearly in mind. As soon 
as the coiling of the side begins it is no longer 
possible to work from left to right. The needle 
must be brought through a stitch to the under 
side of the wprk (what will be the outside of the 
basket) , and then the sewing and coiling continue 
as before, except that the latter is now from right 
to left. 

Lawn or porch mats, that are far more service- 
able than cushions, or gardening mats to kneel on, 
are especially satisfactory made in this way, and 
would be easy pieces to begin on. They require 
no shaping and work up quickly, using a half- 
inch-thick coil. 

Grasses are not all the same length, so the coil 
will begin to get thin before its end is reached. 
As this happens, insert the stem ends of new 
grasses, a few at a time, into the coil and con- 
tinue sewing until the last round is sewed in 
place. Three inches before the end of this last 



ii2 HOME CRAFTS 

round cut out a third of the grass from the coil, 
cutting from the center, so that the ends will not 
show. Continue sewing for another inch, and 
then reduce the coil by half and finish sewing to 
the end. Be sure to fasten the end with several 
stitches sewed over and over. 

Just one last word about large coiled baskets 
made with thick coils. With these each new 
stitch must catch into the coil as well as under 
the stitch. If the coil is quite thick, a half-inch 
or more, and is made of fine grasses, it will be 
necessary to brace it. A reed, concealed by the 
grasses, like a core in the coil, will answer this 
purpose, or broom grass that grows along the 
roadside late into the fall is also a good coil- 
stiff ener. 



XII 



COLORING BASKETS WITH COMMERCIAL AND HOME- 
BREWED DYES 

BASKETS made of machine-cut and smoothed 
materials are generally improved by color. 
But the materials that are gathered and prepared 
by the weaver never really need any improving. 
However, some of the expert weavers among the 
mountain folk down in Kentucky peel their wil- 
lows and treat them in a way that does give a 
pleasing variety to their baskets, even if it is not 
an actual improvement over the original color. 
For a warm gray they boil the peeled switches 
with onion skins. To get a brown that is lighter 
and has more yellow in it than that of the willow 
bark, they peel the switches and then boil them 
with these peelings. And strange as it may 
seem, the brown that is got from the peelings is 
different from that of the peelings themselves 
when they are still on the switches. 

Both of these methods are simple and easy to 
follow. Of course there are other vegetable 
dyes — the kind that went into the dye-pot of our 



ii 4 HOME CRAFTS 

grandmothers — smartweed for yellow, goldenrod 
flowers with fustic for buff, black walnuts chopped 
when green and boiled for a green-brown, madder 
for red, and wildroot for blue. But to brew these 
requires unlimited patience, the kind those grand- 
mothers had. And what is the use when pre- 
pared dyes and stains can be bought that need 
only the addition of a color sense irt the mixing 
to bring about beautiful results? 

The color may be applied to the material be- 
fore it is woven or after the basket is finished. 
Both methods have their advantages. If the 
color is mixed with water the material must be 
dyed before weaving, for if the woven basket 
were wet it would probably warp in the drying. 
By dyeing the material first, colored stripes and 
simple patterns in color are possible through the 
use of different colored weavers. This dyeing 
before weaving is, however, not an economical 
method, because some material of each color is 
usually left over, and even if it is only a little, 
both it and the dye are wasted. 

Package dyes are now on the market, under 
various trade names, that are advertised as usable 
for basket materials, including raffia. And then 
there are dyes known as basic that can be bought 
in bulk and may be used with either water or 
alcohol. When dissolved in the latter the color 
is applied after the basket is woven, and the direc- 
tions for that will be put down a little later under 
the second method of coloring. 



COLORING BASKETS 115 

The basic dyes do not dissolve readily in water 
without the addition of a little acetic acid (or 
vinegar). So for each spoonful of dye powder 
two spoonfuls of acid or strong vinegar must be 
used, and the two ingredients dissolved in about 
a quart of hot water. This strong dye liquor can 
then be added to the water in the dye-pot in 
the quantity needed to produce the desired shade. 
Basic dyes will color silk and wool, too, but in 
that case the strong dye liquor must be strained 
through a cloth before going into the pot, in 
order to remove particles of undissolved dye. 
Spots or streaks on basket material usually im- 
prove instead of marring the effect, so that here 
the straining is not necessary. These dyes are 
so powerful that only a very little is needed to 
bring a full color. But the material must remain 
in the dye-pot and be kept near the boiling-point 
long enough to allow the dye to permeate the 
fiber thoroughly. A good plan is to put it into 
a warm bath and bring it gradually to the boiling- 
point ; after that it can remain in the dye as long 
as is necessary. 

These dyes are as harsh in color as they are 
powerful. That, however, is easily remedied. 
If a color is too sharp a little of each of the other 
two will soften and gray it. For instance, if the 
red seems glary, a little yellow and blue will tone 
it down. But too much blue will make it pur- 
ple, while an over-amount of yellow will change 
the red to orange. The safest way is to add the 



n6 HOME CRAFTS 

color drop by drop from the end of a glass rod 
or a dropper. 

If a basket is colored after it is made, not 
only the basic dyes are available, but also many 
of the commercial wood stains and paints. But 
to finish with the basic dyes — when applied after 
the basket is woven. They dissolve readily in 
alcohol and for economy the denatured alcohol 
is the kind to get. The colors may be mixed to 
get other colors, just as when the dye was dis- 
solved in water, and the solution applied with a 
brush. One with rather stiff bristles will get the 
color into the crevices of the weave better than 
a soft brush. The color always grows darker as 
the alcohol evaporates, so that one should use a 
solution that looks as if it would be too light. 

The wood stains that can be used for basketry 
are similar in action to the basic dyes, and most 
of the directions on the bottles or cans in which 
they are marketed call for alcohol as a thinning 
agent. A stain without varnish is better. Those 
with varnish dry unpleasantly shiny, and are more 
difficult to apply. 

Wood-stain colors cannot be mixed with entire 
surety of success. Sometimes ' ' mud ' ' is the result 
of mixing. However, they do not, as a rule, need 
it. Most of them are pleasing. The mahogany, 
however, is usually too red to give that brown- 
red the Japanese get in their bamboo baskets, 
so a very little green stain and a more generous 
addition of oak must be mixed with it. The 



COLORING BASKETS 117 

" forest green' ' or the most brilliant green 
among those in the color samples, is the kind to 
use for this mixing. If a number of baskets are 
to be stained different colors, a pint or a half- 
pint each of dark mahogany, forest green, and 
dark-oak stain is a selection that will give the 
greatest variety with the least initial outlay of 
colors. 

A surface finish will improve a basket, whether 
it is dyed or stained. White floor wax that can 
be bought under the name of prepared wax will 
give the surface a dull gloss and is easily applied. 
When the basket is dry rub a thin coat of wax 
into the fiber with a stiff brush. A cheap clothes- 
brush is best for the purpose, because the bristles 
are fine and close-set, but a small scrubbing- 
brush will do. Only a very thin waxing is neces- 
sary, and no particles must remain lodged in the 
crevices of the weaving. It should be allowed to 
dry at least one hour before attempting to polish 
the surface; in fact, overnight drying is better 
because the wax will then have plenty of time to 
soak into the fiber. Polishing can be done with 
the waxing-brush, and the friction will not only 
bring out a dull gloss, but will rub off many of the 
loose surface fibers. Reed gets particularly fuzzy 
when it is water-dyed. If the surface of a basket 
is very rough and shredded, a singeing before the 
wax is applied will improve it. This is done over 
a flame in the same way that a fowl is singed. 

Flat-drying varnish may be used instead of 



n8 HOME CRAFTS 

wax. It does not, however, bring out the grain 
of the material as wax does. Quite the con- 
trary, it fills it in, and so for a dyed or stained 
basket it is not so satisfactory. But for one with 
a painted surface varnish is best. Be sure to get 
the flat-drying kind, or too much shine will be 
the result. White shellac is also good, though 
more expensive. 

Baskets with painted surfaces are really more 
attractive than the idea seems. It is an especial- 
ly good way to treat those woven of machine- 
cut ash splints or any of the commercial flat prod- 
ucts that have no color or texture of their own 
left. The peasants of Norway and Sweden make 
some of the materials similar to our flats and 
paint them in strong colors — brilliant blue with 
great spots and dabs of red, yellow, and white, 
with a bright-yellow handle. The effect is gay 
and amusing, and makes the basket particularly 
appropriate for outdoor use or in a summer bunga- 
low. Flat-drying automobile paints are sold in 
a variety of colors, and are ground fine enough 
to use on baskets. They may be had in paste 
form or ready mixed. The paste, being more con- 
centrated, will take up less room in the supply- 
closet. All that is necessary is stirring in tur- 
pentine, a little at a time, as it is needed. The 
colors can be mixed to make others. If one color 
is to be applied over another in decoration, the 
first must be dry before the second is put on, 
or the two will mix on the basket surface. The 



COLORING BASKETS 119 

safest way is to allow the paint to dry overnight 
before putting on a second coat or the finishing 
coat of varnish. 

Only the person who has tried realizes the 
variety of beauty that can be got out of a few 
basket materials, a little dye or paint, and a little 
varnish. 



XIII 

PREPARING AND DYEING MATERIALS FOR RUGS 

WHAT housewife has not looked at a pile 
of stockings too worn for darning, or wool 
underwear in the same condition, and thought 
with regret that so much of an investment must 
be thrown away? But it need not be. These 
and all other old worn things — suits that belonged 
to the man of the house and have passed from 
active business life through a hard season of after- 
business gardening and are not fit to give away, 
old shirts, velvets too worn for steaming, dis- 
carded neckties, hopeless sheets and pillow-cases — 
all will make wonderful rugs. 

First the material must be collected. The best 
way to do this is to keep separate bags for wool, 
silk, and cotton. It will save future sorting 
when the dyeing begins. For all these derelicts 
must be dyed so that a rug of harmonious colors 
will result, and one that will fit the color scheme 
of the room that has needed a new rug so long. 

The cotton-bag is the easiest one, because most 
of its contents will be white stuffs — muslin 



DYEING MATERIALS 121 

underwear, sheets, and other household linens. 
These can all go into the dye-pot just as they are 
and be dyed a lovely gray-green or dull blue for 
the bathroom mats. Save out some for white 
bands or borders. Or even make the bathroom 
rugs of the white rags with a little color on the 
border. They are easily washed, and if not too 
large will not be too heavy for the home laundry. 
Where the children run in and out with shoes 
that are not always clean, such a rug would be 
a mistake, but where there are only grown-ups 
or the children are old enough to be careful, 
they are practical as well as attractive. 

Of course, if the underwear is closely gathered 
in places, it is better to cut this part open before 
dyeing, so that the color will penetrate easily. 
But it is not necessary to strive for even dyeing. 
Indeed, a much more pleasing rug is the result 
if the color has taken unevenly. Any of the 
package dyes will give satisfactory results if the 
directions are carefully followed. 

The dark-cotton materials and the black 
stockings have their renascence in a hit-and-miss 
rug with black border. There are several kinds 
of rag rugs, but all require material cut in strips 
about a half -inch wide. Satisfactory woven rugs 
can be made of strips as wide as an inch, but 
they are not so smooth as those woven of nar- 
rower strips. 

Every woman knows the woven rugs our great- 
grandmothers made on their looms. But does 



i22 HOME CRAFTS 

she know that there are institutions and schools 
where they would be glad to weave her material 
into rugs like them — and for a very small sum, 
perhaps just enough to cover the cost of the 
warp which they would furnish? The superin- 
tendent of schools or the public library can often 
furnish addresses of schools or institutions where 
such work is done. If there is nothing of the 
kind in the district, one or the other would no 
doubt gladly get the address of the nearest place 
where the work may be sent. Parcel post makes 
the exchange of materials cheap and easy. But it 
is possible to make the whole rug at home. The 
next chapters tell about three ways of doing it. 

All soiled pieces must be washed before dyeing. 
If garments have cotton linings they should be 
ripped out. All the light materials should be 
kept apart from the dark, so that they may 
be dyed the lighter colors. Dark goods can be 
dyed darker only unless they are first put through 
a bleaching process. 

But before attempting to bleach any goods 
that has been worn, boil it with plenty of mild 
soap to free the grease and dirt. Then prepare a 
bleaching bath by adding one-tenth of an ounce 
of chloride of lime to every gallon of water. 
There should be enough water to cover the ma- 
terial. Chloride of lime is a white powder that 
can be bought from any druggist. Before im- 
mersing the goods be sure that all the powder is 
dissolved (heating the water will hasten that) 



DYEING MATERIALS 123 

and after immersing be sure that all the material 
remains covered. When the goods are bleaching 
the temperature of the water should be kept at 
about ioo° Fahr., never higher. The time to 
leave them in varies from one-half hour to an 
hour, or even more, depending on the tenacity 
of the dye in the stuffs. One can easily see 
whether the color has all been discharged. The 
bleached stuff will be a muddy gray. 

While this process is going on the next bath, 
or after-treatment, may be got ready. Add 
one and one-half ounces of concentrated hydro- 
chloric acid (also called muriatic acid) to each 
gallon of water. Follow the bleaching with an 
immersion in this acid bath, leaving the goods 
in until no odor of chlorine remains, usually about 
fifteen minutes. This stops the action of the 
chlorine, which would otherwise attack the fiber 
after the dye was all removed. The stuff is then 
run through a third bath, made by adding two- 
fifths of an ounce of sodium hyposulphite to each 
gallon of water, in order to rid the material of 
any trace of chlorine. If there were some pieces 
that would not bleach as gray as the rest with 
chlorine, their color will be reduced in the "hypo" 
bath. Fabrics to-day are dyed with a variety 
of chemical dyes, some of which yield more 
readily to one bleaching treatment and some to 
another. It is, however, not possible to sort out 
the different kinds, so all the goods must go 



i2 4 HOME CRAFTS 

through the two bleaching baths. After the 
sodium hyposulphite treatment, the material 
should be boiled in a soap solution made by al- 
lowing one-half an ounce of mild soap to each 
gallon of water. The material should remain 
in about fifteen minutes, then be rinsed, and 
either dried or put right into the dye bath 

Besides the commercial package dyes that can 
be got at every drug-store there are dyes that 
are marketed in bulk, most of them in powder 
form, and sold by the pound. They are not so 
commonly kept in stock as the package kind, 
but the druggist should be able to order them, 
on the request of a customer, from the large 
Eastern dealers handling dyestuffs. 

Among the several classes of these dyes there 
are two for which the home dyer would have the 
most use — i. e., the direct cotton dyes or salt 
colors, as they are also called, and acid dyes. 
The latter are for silk and wool. The former dye 
linen as well as cotton. With a pound of red, 
blue, and yellow from each of these two classes, 
the home dye-shelf will be well stocked with dye. 
In addition to the color there should also be a 
bag of common table salt, and a pint of dilute 
sulphuric acid. Have the druggist make up a 
40-per-cent. solution rather than keep the concen- 
trated form on the shelf. The latter produces 
painful burns that take a long time to heal, and 
accidents might occur with it. 

A good plan is to dissolve an eighth of a pound 



DYEING MATERIALS 125 

of each dye powder in a two-quart bottle of water 
and use from this when doing the dyeing. To 
complete the equipment for home dyeing there 
should be at least two tubs — one for the dye 
bath and the other for rinsing — three or four 
round sticks about twenty inches long for lifting 
and stirring the goods in the bath, and a stove. 
It would be an economy to have also two large 
dishpans and two smaller pans for small-quan- 
tity dyeing. The laundry is a good place to 
work if there is light enough, and the use of a 
wringer is a convenience, though it is not a neces- 
sity. The dye can be got off of the rubber rollers 
with sand soap. A pair of rubber gloves may be 
considered a necessity by some, but they are ex- 
tremely awkward to work in. Either a clothes- 
horse or a line will answer for drying purposes. 
If the dye and small portable equipment are all 
kept together, many a fabric can be dyed just 
the required color or shade without much work, 
and one gets lots of fun out of doing it. 

There are a' few general directions that apply 
to the use of both kinds of dye. The material 
to be dyed must be clean and well wetted before 
going into the dye-pot. There should be enough 
dye liquor to completely cover the immersed 
goods, and while the latter are in they should 
be kept moving in order to prevent doubling into 
folds that would not allow the dye to penetrate 
evenly, and to prevent some parts from settling 
on the bottom of the pot and getting too hot. 



126 HOME CRAFTS 

The amount of dye to use depends upon how full 
and deep a shade is wanted. It is always safe 
to start with a weak bath and add more color if 
needed. Be sure to remove the material before 
adding the color, and then stir the bath well be- 
fore returning the goods to it. 

To dye cotton goods with the salt dyes men- 
tioned above, start the water for the bath heat- 
ing, and in the mean time strain the dye from the 
stock bottle, if even dyeing is desired, through 
a cheese-cloth. Add the dye to the water, and 
when the bath is hot immerse the wetted cotton 
in it and stir. If only a light shade is required 
leave the stuff in until the color is obtained, but 
if dyeing for a dark color, table salt (one-half 
cupful to every gallon of water) should be added 
to the bath and the goods boiled at least twenty 
minutes. After the dyeing is complete the goods 
need only be rinsed in cold water, shaken out, and 
dried. 

All the velvet, as well as silk and wool pieces, 
may be dyed in a bath made with the other class 
of colors, the acid dyes. Velveteen is a cotton 
stuff and must be sorted from the velvets and 
go into the first-described dye-pot. 

Into the water for the acid bath pour the dye 
from the stock bottle, and for each gallon of 
water add a teaspoonful of the 40-per-cent. 
solution of sulphuric acid. Stir the bath well to 
mix the ingredients and then immerse the wetted 
goods. Allow it to heat slowly, but never boil. 



DYEING MATERIALS 127 

During the heating stir and change the position 
of the material constantly until it is the shade 
desired. Then rinse free every trace of acid, and 
the goods are ready to be dried. The acid is 
added in the first place to assist the dye in uniting 
with the fiber of the material. 

The three cotton dyes may be mixed to pro- 
duce other colors, and so may the three acid dyes, 
but the two classes do not mix. To make green 
mix the blue and yellow. The dominance of one 
or the other will make the green either a blue- 
green or a yellow-green. Red and yellow will 
make orange, and red and blue violet. In order 
to dull the color resulting from any of these com- 
binations, add just a very little of the third 
color; for instance, to make a dull orange add 
a little blue to the red and yellow — not too much, 
though, else brown will be the result. If one of 
the original three colors needs dulling add just a 
little of each of the other two. 

In this way, out of red, blue, and yellow, one 
can get a whole gamut of color. Most of the 
package and tube dyes may be mixed to get 
other colors. When mixing the latter it is safest 
to mix only the primary colors, red, blue, and 
yellow. It is not necessary to do all the dyeing 
at one time. Not even all the material that is 
to be dyed the same color need be done in one 
operation. If dye liquor is left over it can be 
saved, so the process is neither long and tiring nor 
time-consuming. 



128 HOME CRAFTS 

Sharp contrasts of dark and light or brilliant 
and dull color should be avoided in a rug. Rugs 
containing them seem to leap up from the floor. 
A lovely rug was woven entirely of old velvet. 
It was six feet long and nearly four feet wide. 
The ends, for just a little over a foot, were 
striped, starting with a very deep green-blue 
about three inches wide at the ends, and from 
there varying in bands of different hues of blue, 
with an occasional streak of green until the body 
part was reached. This body was a dull green- 
blue somewhat lighter than the bands at the 
ends. 

The warp of the rug was mercerized cotton 
dyed a full brilliant green. It gave a sparkle of 
color over the entire rug and "drew together" 
the blue and green of the weave. As much of 
the original material was dark, it was bleached 
and then dyed to the right green or blue. 

Another velvet rug somewhat livelier in color 
was planned for a room that got very little sun- 
light. So the pieces of velvet were dyed orange — 
a deep, dull orange for the larger mass, with all 
hues and shades of orange for stripes. In weav- 
ing this rug care was taken to avoid having the 
light stripes of rose-orange and yellow-orange 
come next to a stripe of the darkest color. The 
gradations of hue and tone were most gradual. 

The warp was mercerized cotton dyed in the 
same bath with the middle tone of orange used 
in the weaving. The material for that color 



DYEING MATERIALS 129 

was an old velveteen sport skirt — a cotton mate- 
rial, so, of course, the same kind of dye would do. 
To fasten the warp ends they were knotted in 
with the five-inch-deep fringe that finished the 
rug. 

Just a word about warp for these rugs. Mer- 
cerized cotton is quite as strong as linen of the 
same size and much cheaper. The chemical proc- 
ess of mercerizing gives the cotton additional 
strength, and its soft luster adds life to the ap- 
pearance of the textile. It must, however, be of 
good quality and strong, as when the warp gives 
way the rug is gone. 



XIV 

RUGS BRAIDED, CROCHETED AND HOOKED 

PERHAPS the most possible rug for every 
one to make at home is the braided rug, be- 
cause the work requires no special tools or equip- 
ment. Just a large coarse needle and some very 
strong thread are all that is needed. Regular 
linen carpet-thread can be purchased in any 
notion department or from a carpet-store. 

Select the heavier wools and the velvets for 
this kind of rug-making, so that your finished 
mat will have body. In the woven rug the warp 
gave additional weight, and in the hooked rug, 
told about later on, the canvas backing gives it 
firmness. But whether a braided rug will lie flat 
on the floor without wrinkling depends entirely 
upon the kind of material selected. 

So choose firm materials, preferably wools or 
velvets, bleach and dye where necessary, and 
cut them into one-inch- wide strips. They may 
be cut either on the bias or straight of the ma- 
terial. The latter is preferable because the strips 
will have less stretch. However, if the material 



RUGS 131 

is of the kind that ravels readily, cutting it on 
the bias would be the better way. In any case, 
the two ways of cutting the strips will not work 
well in the same rug because the "give" or 
stretch will be too uneven; either all bias or all 
straight strips for the whole rug. If it is to be of 
velveteen the strips should be cut one and a half 
inches wide and folded through the center so that 
the cotton back will not show and the rug will 
be reversible. 

The joining of the strips can be accomplished 
by simply overlapping. But it is much easier to 
braid them if they are all sewed together and 
each color rolled into a separate ball. The 
joining will be least thick if the two ends are 
cut on long biases and one lapped over the 
other for half an inch and sewed flat. They 
should be sewed by machine, of course. It is 
quicker. 

The braid itself is either the simple three- 
or four-strand kind. And usually the effect 
is more pleasing if the strands are all the 
same color. Different colors can be intro- 
duced as bands or stripes when sewing tlie 
braid together. 

It is easier to make round or elliptical rugs than 
it is to make those of rectangular shape. A 
paper pattern just the size and shape that the 
rug is to be when finished is a great help in keeping 
the work symmetrical. And the widths of the 
stripes can be marked off on this, too. 



132 HOME CRAFTS 

The sewing starts with the center and the 
beginning end must be securely sewed. If the 
rug is to be elliptical this "end" is a foot or more 
long, and acts as a foundation for the rest of the 
braid to coil about. It is a good plan to lay out 
a length of braid on the floor and wind about it 
several times in order to be sure of just what 
beginning length is needed for the proportions of 
the desired ellipse. An elliptical rug has a ten- 
dency to approach a circle as its size increases, 
so be sure to take a long foundation. 

As to the color schemes of braided rugs — the 
suggestions that were made for the woven rugs 
apply as well to the braided kind, with this ad- 
dition — a color at least as dark as the darkest 
tone in the body of the rug is more effective for 
the outer finishing border than a light color 
would be. 

THE CROCHETED RUG 

Another rug that is similar to the braided 
rug is one crocheted with a heavy needle. A 
crochet-needle that is a quarter of an inch thick 
just above the hook should be used. With this 
the strips are "worked up" in tight single crochet. 
Cotton or silk cut into inch-wide strips on the 
bias are the easiest to manipulate. And small 
mats are usually more satisfactory than large, 
because neither material nor manner of working 
produces a textile with much body. 



RUGS 133 

THE OLD-TIME HOOKED RUG 

The old-fashioned hooked rug has been brought 
down from its attic prison, and is even lovelier 
now with its faded colors than it was fifty years 
ago, when its place was usurped by that hideous 
impostor, the large-figured Brussels carpet. These 
rugs were made by the thrifty New England 
housekeeper on the coarse cotton sugar-bag after 
it had been soaked and boiled to shrink the ma- 
terial and get out all the dressing. For the top 
of the rug worsted yarns were used, as well as 
cloth strips. But, of course, the latter made the 
rug economical. The cloth strips are cut three- 
quarters of an inch wide on the bias, but need 
not be sewed together. 

The making process is simply hooking a loop, 
about one-half inch long, of the cut strips through 
canvas or some other loosely woven cotton or 
linen fabric. A short awl with its point turned 
up makes a fine hooking-tool. Each loop is 
hooked through close to the last one until the 
whole surface of the canvas is covered. Then the 
loops are shorn to form a piled surface on the 
right side. And the wrong side of the rug is 
backed with another piece of canvas to prevent 
the work from pulling out. Some makers give 
the wrong side a thin coat of sizing, but that 
seems unhygienic and quite unnecessary if the 
work is backed. And, too, the glue is apt to make 
the rug stiff. 



i 3 4 HOME CRAFTS 

This kind of rug admits a wider range of de- 
sign than the others. Pattern is quite possible, 
but only large masses work out with good effect. 
Small patterns or those with much delicacy of 
detail lose that quality, and their form as well, 
in the making. The pattern should be drawn 
on the canvas with black crayon as a guide for 
working. But to be sure of color effects a car- 
toon should be made on which the colors of the 
material to be hooked have been rendered as 
near as possible in crayon. This will be a help 
in working, and to have one is the only sure way 
of avoiding mistakes. 



XV 



HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE LOOMS AND WHAT TO 
WEAVE ON THEM 

THE next time you think of making a bag, 
whether it is to be a small, dainty affair just 
large enough to carry a handkerchief and vanity- 
case, or a larger bag to hold pick-up sewing, or 
even a school-bag, try weaving it on a loom that 
you can make yourself out of cardboard. 

The cardboard must be very stiff. Stein- 
bock board is the name of one kind. Book- 
binder's board is good, too; in fact, any card- 
board so heavy that it will not bend. Cut a strip 
the exact width that the bag is to be when 
finished, and twice as long, plus two more inches. 
The cutting should be done with a sharp knife 
against a ruler's edge, because cardboard that 
is heavy enough for a bag loom could not be 
cut with the necessary clean edge if scissors were 
used. 

After the strip is cut, rule a line one inch be- 
low and parallel to each end. The threads over 
which the weaving is to be done (the warp) are 



i 3 6 HOME CRAFTS 

to be stretched between these two lines. So 
holes must be punched through the cardboard 
on the lines, in order to fasten the warp. A 
thumb-tack is a good hole-puncher. Their dis- 
tance apart depends upon how close together the 
warp threads must be, and that in turn depends 
upon the kind of material to be used for weaving. 
Various kinds of materials and combinations for 
bags will be talked over a little later. For this 
particular loom, suppose the warp threads need 
to be one-eighth of an inch apart. The holes 
must then be punched one-fourth of an inch 
apart, because two warp threads will be held at 
each hole. 

To fasten the warp into the hole, take two 
heavy needles threaded with strong thread. The 
kind used to sew on shoe-buttons is good. Fasten 
the end of the warp thread into the first hole on 
one end of the cardboard by means of a knot or 
pin. Then carry the warp across to the first hole 
on the opposite end. Stick one of the threaded 
needles up through this hole, cross the warp 
thread, and stick the needle back through the 
same hole. In this way the warp is held by a 
loop of the needle thread. Carry it again to the 
opposite side, and here the second needle should 
secure the warp to the second hole. Continue 
warping the loom until each hole holds a warp 
loop. It is more convenient to roll the warp 
in a ball or have it on a spool when warping. 
When the last hole is reached, do not cut off the 



HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE LOOMS 137 



warp, but fasten the threads of both needles and 
cut these. 

The loom must now be doubled through the 



FAJTEM ODD 
THREAD hEfct^ 




FOLD OA DOTTED ll/Yfc 



A BAG LOOM 



i 3 8 HOME CRAFTS 

middle, with the warp threads on the outside. 
Very heavy cardboard bends with a cleaner edge 
if it is scored first with a sharp knife. The scor- 
ing of the loom through the center must, of 
course, be done before it is warped. 

Here is an important detail — often there is 
not enough elasticity to the warp threads to 
stretch over the turn when the loom is bent 
double. An allowance for this can be made by 
placing a half-ihch-thick block of wood across 
the loom and warping over it. Just before bend- 
ing the cardboard the block is removed and the 
slack that follows will be taken up in the turn 
of the cardboard. The two halves of the card- 
board must be fastened together at the top, so 
that they will not shift after the weaving begins. 

When the loom has reached this stage there 
will always be an even number of warp threads, 
and it is necessary to have an odd number in 
order to weave around over and under each 
warp thread without skipping. The odd thread 
is added by carrying the ball of warp from the 
last hole in which it was secured down to the 
bend of the loom. It should be fastened there, 
and the remainder cut off. This finishes the 
loom. 

It is easier to begin weaving near the bottom 
of the loom. A long bodkin makes a convenient 
tool to carry the weft and for picking up the alter- 
nate warp threads. There are just two points to 
be very particular about when weaving. The first 



HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE LOOMS 139 

is to be sure the warp threads are parallel when 
the first two rounds of weft are woven in. After 
this there is no danger of the warp twisting. 
The second point is to weave loosely enough. 
The weft must do the undulating, never the warp. 
But if the weft is pulled too tight the warp is 
pulled out of place. Bags are more attractive if 
the weft is packed close together, so that the 
warp does not show. 

If the weaving is to have pattern, this must be 
outlined on a paper and parallel lines represent- 
ing warp threads ruled through it. These lines 
would, of course, be the same distance apart as 
the warp on the loom. All curves in the pattern 
become straight lines and right angles when 
woven. Patterns for weaving look much like 
the cross-stitch patterns one can buy; indeed, 
cross-stitch patterns can be used for weaving. 

Pattern must be woven in first. Find where 
its position in the loom is to be and how many 
warp threads it covers, and then weave it in, 
simply turning when the edge warp thread of the 
pattern is reached and weaving across to the 
edge warp thread on the other side of the pattern. 
The background is woven up to the pattern edge, 
turned and woven the other direction until an- 
other pattern edge is met. Slits will be formed 
in the weaving between pattern and background. 
It is well to plan a pattern with an irregular out- 
line so as to avoid long slits. However, these can 
be sewed up when the weaving is finished. This 



i 4 o HOME CRAFTS 

was often done on the old tapestries one finds in 
museums. 

Now about materials for weaving. Use silk 
floss loosely twisted for small bags, and weave it 
over a fine linen warp. The warp threads will 
have to be as close as a sixteenth of an inch apart 
for a bag of fine silk. The linen for the warp 
comes on spools, and is sold at either the notion- 
counter or in the needlework department of any 
large shop. No. 20 or 25 is a suitable size for 
small bags. 

A bag woven of wools over coarse warp has 
quite an old-tapestry look about it if the wool is 
harsh and loosely twisted. The regular tapestry 
wool is carried by some needlework departments, 
but if they do not have it, try an Oriental- 
rug shop. One where rugs are made over and 
mended would be sure to have a supply of coarse 
wool and usually a wide range of colors. Bags 
made of this material must t>e at least nine inches 
wide and eleven inches long. Either a coarse 
linen warp or a firmly twisted cotton will answer. 
The space between warp threads can range from 
an eighth of an inch to about a quarter, depending 
on how coarse the wool is. The pattern, too, 
controls the spacing. One with much detail 
would require a closer warp than a simple flat 
pattern. The simple pattern is easier and usually 
more effective in coarse wools. 

A bag with a body of dull yellow irregularly 
dyed had a four-inch-wide band around the lower 




A PIECE OF COPTIC WEAVING THAT SHOWS CLEARLY HOW A 
PATTERN MAY BE WOVEN IN AND THE BACKGROUND WOVEN 
AROUND IT 



HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE LOOMS 141 

part, patterned in large, gay flowers. The largest 
of the flowers were the width of the band in di- 
ameter and their few simple petals were flat 
masses of dull violets and blues. Here again the 
wool was irregularly dyed. The weaver did the 
dyeing herself with the commercial dyes that 
come in tubes. For a bit of red she used some 
left-over cakes of Easter-egg dye, a perfectly 
satisfactory dye for animal fiber that will not 
have to be washed. Small masses of blues and 
greens were woven into the band with a dull-silk 
floss. A silk of high luster would have dominated 
unpleasantly if used with the comparatively 
lusterless wool. 

The loom for this bag was warped one-eighth 
of an inch apart because the pattern was some- 
what detailed in the small spots of color. So to 
save work the dull-yellow body above the border 
was woven over two and under two warp threads 
at a time. This also added a variation in the 
texture of the weave. 

Another bag was woven of fine, undyed jute. 
This material can be bought in twine-and-paper- 
supply houses or shops where rope is sold. This 
bag was made of four-ply jute slightly less than 
one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The loom was 
warped with the jute one-fourth of an inch apart 
and the weft had that same space between each 
weaving. A lattice, or open, weave was the re- 
sult. Color introduced in close- woven bands of 

varying widths made a stripe design across the 
10 



i 4 2 HOME CRAFTS 

bottom and a single band of close weaving finished 
the top. Cords of twisted jute, three strands for 
a cord, drew the bag together. The cords were 
slipped through rings sewed to the top of the bag. 
The most attractive rings for this purpose can be 
found in a first-class saddler's shop. Small ones, 
the kind that will do for a bag, are called martin- 
gale rings. 

Another simple way of making a slip for bag 
cords is to lay several foundation threads and 
buttonhole over them* This would hardly be 
possible with thick jute. The closely woven bags 
of fine material can be made with slits around 
the top for the drawing-cords. The slits are 
made in the same way as they were along the 
edges of the pattern. 

Flat pieces of weaving can be done on card- 
board looms constructed like bag looms. For a 
flat piece, however, the cardboard need be> only 
two inches longer in one direction than the fin- 
ished piece of weaving. These two extra inches 
allow for an inch margin on each end for the 
holes that hold the warp. The latter is fastened 
to the cardboard in the same way as in the bag 
loom. 

Pieces of wool tapestry for foot-stool covers, 
fire-screens, and hall benches or chairs, ends for 
table runners woven of linen floss, and wide bands 
of linen or wool for portieres, are among the useful 
furnishing stuffs that can be woven on these simple 
cardboard looms. If the band of weaving is long, 



HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE LOOMS 143 

it usually is necessary to brace the loom on the 
wrong side with thin strips of wood to prevent 
bending. 

The process sounds complicated in the descrip- 
tion, but is simple in execution, and the results 
obtainable will repay effort spent in selecting de- 
signs, colors, and materials. 



XVI 

WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 

HERE is a chance for color — just as varied 
and as gay as possible. And when once 
you are deep in the paint-cups no end of things 
about the house will present themselves for re- 
claiming or turning into something new by the 
magic of a fearlessly wielded brush. Many of 
them will be the things you have always hesitated 
to throw away, but knew would accumulate be- 
yond the storage capacity of the attic or top 
shelf in the closet. Candy-boxes, hat-boxes, the 
big and little boxes that once held pills, fruit boxes 
and baskets; in fact, every well-proportioned and 
neatly made box of cardboard, wood, or tin may 
be transferred into an acceptable gift or a charm- 
ing and useful appurtenance to some room in the 
household. For instance, make the guest-room 
dressing-table a powder-puff box out of a large 
pill-box or a small, round candy-box. Paint it 
a fresh apple-green with a wide violet band around 
the edge of the cover; inside the band add two 
finer lines of yellow, Glue to the center of the 



WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 145 

cover, for a knob and to please your fancy, one 
of those strange fruits that may be made out of 
a scrap of silk stretched over a ball of cotton. Use 
a bit of taffeta the color of the violet band, touch 
it with a brush dipped in red water-color, thrust 
a clove deep into its cotton filling to make the 
blossom end, and then add a dash of leaves from 
last summer's hat trimmings. When fruit and 
leaves are glued in place, paint the inside of the 
box yellow or torquoise blue, and finish both in- 
side and outside — including the fruit — with sev- 
eral coats of shellac. 

But now to begin in the very beginning, at the 
paint-shop getting a supply of materials. For 
painting on paper or cardboard buy tempera 
water-colors, sold also under the name of show- 
card colors. Those prepared with sizing are more 
permanent. They are simply opaque water-color 
and may be washed off. That is why one may be 
so fearless and dash on any colors one's imagina- 
tion prompts. Of course, washing cardboard 
boxes must be done with care, not allowing 
them to become soaked, else they will blister. 
The show-card colors may be had in black, white, 
and a variety of hues, and they come in two-ounce 
bottles or larger quantities. These colors are for 
the small things or for picking out a pattern on 
furniture. 

For painting furniture or large surfaces use 
automobile paint. It is put up either in paste or 
in liquid form. The former needs thinning with 



1 46 HOME CRAFTS 

oil and turpentine. These make two more items 
to be added to the stock-shelf of the home deco- 
rator. Boiled linseed oil will also be needed for 
"rubbing down" in a later stage of the painting. 
No definite proportions can be given for the 
thinning of the paste, because the required quan- 
tity varies with the condition of the paint. Begin 
with a little color, pour in about a teaspoonful 
of oil, rub it in and then thin down gradually 
with turpentine. More turpentine than oil is 
required. If too much of the latter is used the 
paint remains sticky for days. Turpentine will 
also cut the gloss of any liquid oil paint in case 
it has too much. 

There are several reasons for advising auto- 
mobile paint instead of the ordinary kind: it is 
smoother, is mixed with a " drier' ' that shortens 
the time needed for drying after its application, 
and the paste form is a condensed way of keeping 
it — a way that not only takes up less space on 
the shelf, but is economical, since just the required 
amounts may be mixed as needed. 

Ordinary paint, even a good quality, is cheaper 
than automobile paint and will do very well for 
garden and porch furniture or even with more 
critical work. This, too, comes in a condensed 
form — i. e. y ground in oil — and needs thinning 
with turpentine. Add Japan drier, in the propor- 
tions of one ounce to a quart of paint, if you 
wish to hurry the drying so that the next coat of 
paint may go on, 



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WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 147 

A Japanned paint must be applied with a cam- 
el's-hair brush — not bristle — and spread lightly. 
A rubber-set brush costs more to begin with, but 
does not shed its hairs or bristles in a short time, 
as will one set with glue or cement. Bristle 
brushes are suitable for a paint without drier and 
cost less than the hair brushes. 

The best size to get depends upon the nature 
of the painting. Small boxes may be done rapidly 
and easily with a three-quarter-inch brush that 
is not too thick. Of course, pattern must go on 
with a smaller one. The Japanese brushes, the 
kind they use with their ink stones, are good for 
decorative work and are so inexpensive that one 
can well afford a generous supply — one for each 
of the show-card colors. This saves time and 
the trouble of cleaning a brush for every new 
color. 

Larger surfaces require a wider brush — one 
about one and a quarter inches wide for the work 
of average size; that is, chairs, tables, chests, 
and window- boxes. By the way, one of those 
most useful "cedar chests' ' may be made of a 
wooden shoe-box — the kind that shoes come 
packed in from the factory. Paint and decorate 
it outside. Sandpaper the inside smooth and then 
treat it to sprinklings of cedar oil at intervals of 
a week until it is strongly aromatic. This makes 
a most satisfactory substitute for a real cedar 
chest. 

Add two sizes of sandpaper to the stock-shelf 



i 4 8 HOME CRAFTS 

if any wood-painting is to be done, No. i for the 
first rubbing down and No. oo for finishing. 
Always rub with the grain and wipe off the powder 
that collects from the rubbing. It fills up the 
crevices, deceiving one into thinking the article 
is perfectly smooth, and the truth is not dis- 
covered until a first coat of paint washes the 
sandpaper dust free. 

There are two very good final finishes. One is 
prepared wax. It comes dark and light, but the 
latter is usable for either kind of paint. Only a 
little need be rubbed into the surface of the wood 
with a cloth after the last painting is done. It 
must be allowed to dry for at least an hour ; over- 
night is better. Then the surface is polished by 
rubbing with a soft cloth — old linen is excellent. 

Wax cannot be used over tempera colors. 
These should be finished with shellac. And be 
sure to get white shellac, for the whole color 
scheme would be changed upon the application 
of the amber kind. If it is too thick, thin down 
with denatured alcohol. The consistency of thin 
cream is about right. Apply it on a dry day, if 
possible, else it will go on "clouded." That 
effect disappears in time, to be sure, but is an- 
noying while it lasts, because the colors do not 
show through true. Some of the color in a pat- 
tern usually gets dim or rubbed off with the first 
application of shellac, but this may be touched 
up before the next coat goes on. 

A real English lacquer finish may be got by 



WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 149 

— well, almost an indefinite number of shellac 
coats. The more that are put on the deeper will 
be * the color effect and the harder the surface — 
a paper box becomes quite like wood when treated 
in this way. So it is entirely practical to spend 
time and effort on paper foundations. After the 
first two coats of shellac, a rubbing down with 
powdered pumice and boiled linseed oil must be 
given the surface before another coat is spread. 
Simply saturate a soft cloth with oil, dip it in 
the pumice powder, and rub the surface gently. 
The object is to get off any small irregularities 
and rough places. Wipe away the powder with oil 
and then dry the surface before shellacing again. 

You see there are a number of items besides 
color to be got at the paint-shop, and for con- 
venience in reference they have been listed at 
the end of the chapter. When it seemed possible, 
quantities were suggested. However, the amount 
of paint could not be estimated because that de- 
pends upon how much surface is to be covered. 
The salesman in the paint-shop should be able 
to advise there. 

Two more items are mucilage and talcum — 
both for the lacquer- work, to raise some of the 
pattern above the rest. Upon close examination 
of old work one frequently finds this treatment 
on details of the design. To reproduce the effect 
mix talcum and mucilage to a consistency where 
a tiny bead of it dropped from the end of the 
mixing match-stick will retain its shape. Then 



ISO HOME CRAFTS 

apply it on the pattern to be raised, let it dry, 
and after this it is ready for the color. One must 
be careful in shellacing a surface that has been 
raised. Shellac is apt to collect in the crevices 
as it runs off the promontories. Use a fairly dry 
brush. 

The things of tin to be painted are not quite 
so numerous as those of paper and wood. How- 
ever, a most attractive row of flower-pots for an 
indoor window-garden may be painted out of 
small tin pails after the handles are removed. 
And a watering-pot, the kind with a very long 
spout for reaching the farthest plants, may be 
painted and decorated to go with them. Then 
there are the pails for outdoor gardening — there 
is no reason why they should not add to the gaiety 
of the garden their own sparkle of color instead 
of going about as plain and practical galvanized 
iron or tin. 

Paint will preserve the latter from rust as 
well as make them more pleasant to look at. 
The old-time tin candlestick with reflectors that 
direct the light and protect the flame from gusts 
of wind, make a candlestick more practical, and 
gay paint in pleasing pattern makes it more 
cheerful. Paint a case for safety-match boxes 
to go with it. And the old-time tin tray is re- 
turning to favor, or perhaps it is that we are be- 
ginning to appreciate its decorative possibilities 
in a room. No doubt many a household has one 
of these castaways in the attic or barn, If enough 



WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 151 

of the original design remains to follow, by all 
means restore it. But if not, decorate it anew 
after the old-time pattern. One of these on an 
oblong tray with wide, rolling rim and rounded 
corners had a center panel of buff. The back- 
ground of the rim was black, with polychrome 
flower and fruit decoration laid on it in primitive 
simplicity. An old Colonial tray had a serpen- 
tine rim, black, and banded with gold. On the 
center panel was a large basket of fruit, flowers, 
and birds arranged from it in the stiff est, prim- 
mest fashion and the gayest colors. 

A decorated tin muffin-cover might accom- 
pany this tray to the breakfast- table. Make it 
of a deep tin pan inverted, and repeat the pat- 
tern of the breakfast china for its decoration. A 
wooden knob, gilded or painted, is the finishing 
touch on the center of the top. 

Small book ends of lacquered tin are a con- 
venience on the study table or desk. They come, 
undecorated, just large enough to hold a few 
reference-books — the French-English dictionary, 
a book of synonyms, city-street directory, and 
any other small volumes that one needs for quick 
and ready reference. 

And then, of course, the tin box for candy. 
Nothing is quite so nice in which to send home- 
made confections as one of these lacquered boxes. 
But inside leave the shining tin unpainted, or the 
contents may become flavored with turpentine 
and shellac, 



1 52 HOME CRAFTS 

The automobile paint mentioned above does 
for tin also. It must ha\as plenty of turpentine 
in it and very little oil, else it will creep together 
when applied. In case the right consistency 
cannot be got without adding so much oil that 
the paint will not spread on tin, start with a metal 
prime coat. It may be got of any dealer, but 
is put up in a limited line of colors. A medium- 
light, neutral tone would be the best ground 
coat for a majority of over-colors. The tempera 
paints will spread on tin after a primer, so that 
eliminates the stock of oil-colors one would other- 
wise have to get for laying on the patterns. 

Painted trays may be finished with several 
coats of shellac if they are to be carefully used in 
service. But on a tray that is to carry hot things, 
and one that may get wet, spar varnish is a better 
finish. It is a very hard-drying kind of varnish, 
made for outside use, principally ship work. It 
is, however, just a trifle amber and that changes 
the colors over which it is applied. For garden 
utensils only a spar finish is practical. 

A lamp-shade that is just right in shape, color, 
and design for the room is really difficult to find 
among the shops of even large cities. And to 
get one for over some particular bowl that needs 
only the right shade to turn it into a wonderful 
lamp is next to impossible. But when one can 
make the shade at home, not only wonderful 
lamps, but shields for side lights, and all manner 
of light-screens are possible. 



WITH BRUSH AND PAINT 153 

Any tough paper makes a good foundation — 
heavy water-color paper and paper parchment 
are the two kinds frequently used. The former 
has a rough surface that is a better texture for 
some effects than the smooth parchment finish. 
Mark out the panels or shape of the shade and 
outline the design very lightly with pencil. Then 
apply a background color, using water-color for 
it, and later for the design, too. To do this, slip 
a large blotter between drawing-board and paper. 
Mix plenty of color and apply it freely, beginning 
at the top and working down and across the 
paper. The blotter absorbs any moisture that 
soaks through. 

Let the background dry until tne snine dis- 
appears from its surface, and in the mean time 
get ready the colors for the pattern. These 
should be put in as rapidly as possible. Then 
allow the work to remain on the blotter until it 
is perfectly dry, but during this time keep the 
entire surface weighted to prevent buckling. 

The next thing is to cut out the panels or the 
circular shade and fasten it over the wrapped- 
wire foundation that has been made to measure- 
ments. Details about the latter are given in 
Chapter XI in the part about cane candle- 
shades. If the paper shade is in panels each 
section may be sewed to its neighbor with heavy 
thread, catching into the wrapping of the founda- 
tion wires at the same time. These seams will 
be hidden with the finishing gimp. If the shade 



i54 HOME CRAFTS 

has only one seam it should be lapped and 
glued, making the join as inconspicuous as pos- 
sible. Then the paper may be slipped over the 
wire foundation and held in place by sewing it 
to the top and bottom circle wires. 

When the shade is in place give it a number 
of shellac coats to protect the color and finish 
the surface. They may be applied before the 
shade is fastened over the frame, but in the first 
way the shellac helps mold the paper over the 
wire. When the shellac is dry remove the bright 
surface polish with oil and pumice — just enough 
oil to bind the powder. 

Additional interest may be given a pattern by 
cutting out parts of it, introducing in this way 
the texture of the lining into the design, and also 
giving intense spots of light to those parts. They 
may, of course, be tinted. A stencil-knife is the 
best tool for the cut- work. Whole designs 
punched out in spots of three or four diameters 
are effective with little work. A punch made 
with six different-sized diameters may be bought 
in any large hardware-store. The problem of 
what to do for the high center hall light would be 
solved by an inverted shade with " punch- work* ' 
design. 

Plain gilt or antique silver gimp is suitable 
for finishing the seams and edges of paper shades ; 
or the narrow beaded and embroidered gimps 
one finds among the dress trimmings may repeat 
a feature of the design in a pleasing way, 



WITH BRUSH AND PAINT i55 

If at all uncertain about the kind of shade for 
a particular place or when stranded for ideas as 
to shape and design, look over a dozen or more 
numbers of the best magazines that have the 
home and its furnishings as their subject. Back 
numbers are always kept in the reference files 
of the library. And although you may not find 
exactly what you would care to reproduce, the 
illustrations are always suggestive. 

The list of supplies for the home decorator's 
paint-closet follows: 

Automobile paint — paste form advised. 
Tempera colors — sized. 
i pint boiled linseed oil. 
I quart turpentine. 
I pint white shellac. 
I quart denatured alcohol. 
I pint spar varnish, as light as possible. 
I camel's-hair brush ) width depends upon size of 
I bristle brush ) work. 

6 Japanese ink-brushes — small. 
i pound powdered pumice. 
I pint prepared wax — white. 

i box containing small bottle of gilt, mixing oil, and 
brush. 



XVII 

BATIK DYEING 

HUNDREDS of years ago in the Far East 
workers of textiles painted and dyed with 
results that to-day are still an inspiration in de- 
sign, color, and workmanship. The story of how 
they did their work and some of the simple tools 
have passed down the years to us with the stuffs, 
so that the craftsman to-day can do the same 
kind of thing in his home that those craftsmen 
of long ago did in theirs. 

The modern chemist has smoothed the way by 
shortening the dyeing process from days and 
weeks to minutes and hours. He has made 
synthetically the same dyes that years ago were 
brewed so long and patiently from vegetables. 
Not only is the dyeing process quicker now, but 
results are surer and, for the trained person, en- 
tirely under control of the worker. To achieve 
the same soft colors that the ancient dyer got 
becomes a challenge to the skill and nice color 
sense of the modern dyer. The former worker 
got them in great part, not through his volition, 



BATIK DYEING 157 

but owing to impurities that were naturally in 
the vegetable source of his dyes. 

Among the dyers of old times were the Javanese, 
who did a kind of patterned dyeing which the 
Dutch explorers of their island later introduced 
into Europe by the Javanese name batik, a term 
meaning painting in wax. And that is what part 
of the process really is. The pattern is drawn on 
the fabric with molten wax, and after it hardens 
the cloth is dipped to dye it a darker color. The 
wax is then boiled out, leaving a light pattern on 
a dark ground. The process does not, however, 
limit the textile to two tone effects only. A 
skilled worker can dye and redye any number of 
colors on the fabric, always waxing the part that 
must remain untouched by the next bath. The 
process is also known as resist dyeing, because 
the wax resists the penetrating power of the dye. 

A mixture of beeswax and paraffin, marketed 
under the name of impure beeswax, adheres to 
cloth better than pure wax does; or resin melted 
with the wax will also prevent its flaking. A 
piece the size of a walnut with each half-pound 
of wax is about the proportion to use. There are 
various ways of applying the pattern in molten 
wax to the cloth. And the choice of these de- 
pends largely on the weight of the fabric and the 
size or detail of the pattern. 

Large simple masses like those in the batik- 
patterned hanging illustrated in the frontispiece 

can be outlined on the material in pencil and then 
11 



1 58 HOME CRAFTS 

waxed in with a brush. One unit of the design 
for this textile was cut out of stiff paper and 
used as a pattern to trace around. By shifting 
the pattern down a space the design could be 
easily repeated. Of course, the spacing of the 
entire piece was carefully planned before any 
outlining at all was done. The material is a heavy 
quality of unbleached muslin, an inexpensive ma- 
terial that can be utilized with good effect in 
house-furnishing. Blue and white batik-pat- 
terned bedspreads made of heavy muslin have 
charm and individuality. It also makes most 
satisfactory over curtains for the bungalow or 
country house that can be tubbed every week 
if necessary. Washing seems to improve the 
texture of muslin sheeting. If a very heavy 
quality is used the curtains may be drawn to- 
gether at night, dispensing with the roller that 
is ugly even at its best. A couch-cover of this 
same useful material with gaily dyed cushions 
might be a way of introducing a color note into 
a dull room. 

But to continue with batik-work — another way 
in which wax and pattern can be applied to the 
material is to brush the wax into the cloth through 
a stencil. This should be cut from the heaviest 
stencil paper and then varnished after cutting; 
or better still, but hard to make — a stencil of 
thinnest sheet metal. With either kind of stencil 
care must be taken not to wax beyond the pat- 
tern on to the frame, otherwise a ragged edge is 



BATIK DYEING 159 

left along the waxed pattern on the cioth when 
the stencil is lifted. If the stencil is delicate or 
of thin paper, a safer way is to trace around it 
with pencil and then wax within the traced out- 
line. A brush with rather stiff bristles not more 
than one-quarter of an inch long gets the wax 
into the fiber better than the usual stencil-brush. 

Either of these methods of patterning the 
wax works well with large, massed designs and 
thick fabrics. But for delicate patterns or small 
details a little wax pipe similar to those used by 
the Javanese, called a tjantings, must be used. 
It consists of a tiny cup, about the size of half 
an egg-shell, with a short-tubed spout containing 
a capillary opening from which the melted wax 
can be poured in a fine stream. The cup is fast- 
ened to a short handle so that it can be com- 
fortably manipulated when the design is traced 
on the cloth with the melted wax as it flows from 
the spout. 

The wax must be kept at just the right tem- 
perature. If it is too hot it will spread beyond 
the pattern, and if too cool it will not penetrate 
the fiber through to the under side. And it is 
most important that it does penetrate, else the 
wax may flake off in the dyeing or the pattern 
will be blurred on one side. Some fabrics require 
the wax hotter than others, so a good plan is to 
have a piece of the same material that is to be 
decorated as a sample on which to try out the 
wax. A small alcohol-stove or a can of " solid 



160 HOME CRAFTS 

alcohol' ' is a convenient way to heat the wax, 
because it can be moved so near the place of ap- 
plication, saving both heat and time. A large 
table or board covered with blotting-paper, and 
thumb - tacks to keep the material stretched 
smooth while waxing, complete the list of neces- 
sary tools. 

Now about dyeing the waxed material. In the 
first place, it must be entirely freed from its sizing 
or starch, or the dye will not take evenly. The 
easiest way to get out all the dressing is to boil 
the goods in soapy water. If it cannot bear such 
severe treatment, soaking in hot suds and then 
squeezing the fabric under water will remove the 
dressing. This must be done before putting on 
the pattern, or the wax would be boiled out. And 
for the same reason it is necessary to dye the 
waxed textile in a cold or lukewarm bath. There 
are several makes of dyes on the market that 
can be used cold. Those that claim to be fast 
to washing do wash fairly well if the directions 
are carefully followed when the fabric is dyed 
and if the laundering is done quickly. For fur- 
nishing-stuffs that receive hard service and must 
get equally hard tubbings, the sulphur dyes, a 
comparatively new class, are the best. They are 
fast to light as well as water, and their naturally 
soft tones make them particularly suitable for 
dyeing house-furnishing textiles. 

These sulphur dyes are retailed in large or 
small quantities by the importers, but usually 



BATIK DYEING 161 

without directions for their use. From a quarter 
to a half pound each of red, blue, and yellow will 
be sufficient stock for the home dyer to begin 
with. The different colors in these dyes cannot 
be mixed with the same success as the red, blues, 
and yellows of the acid and direct salt dyes men- 
tioned in Chapter XIII. The result is apt to be 
muddy. But they are naturally grayed and soft 
in tone, so really require no further treatment. 

Dissolve the dye powder in hot water. The 
amount to use can be determined only by experi- 
menting with scraps of material. This applies 
to any kind of dye. Most of the commercial 
package dyes state on the package the quantity 
of material that the inclosed amount will color; 
but it is always economical as well as safe to 
begin with a weak bath, adding more dye if 
necessary after testing with the scraps. And 
often a better piece of work results from two or 
three dippings in a weak bath, allowing the stuff 
to dry after each immersion, rather than dipping 
once in a heavy dye. In the former case the dye 
has a chance to penetrate the fiber thoroughly 
without fear of the color becoming too dark, and 
the result will not only be more even, but also 
more permanent. The quantity of hot water need 
be just enough to dissolve the dye easily, about 
a quart for two tablespoonfuls of the powder. 
To the hot water add also twice as much sodium 
sulphide (crystals) as dye powder. While these 
are dissolving prepare the lukewarm water for 



162 HOME CRAFTS 

the dye bath. There should be enough to cover 
the goods, and the containing vessel must be 
large, so that the material will not be crowded 
or lie in packed folds while dyeing. Add to 
the water twice as much washing-soda as the 
amount of dye powder that was used, and when 
it has dissolved pour the quart of dye solution 
into the bath. Stir it well. Be sure the dye 
bath is thoroughly mixed, and then immerse the 
previously wetted material. When using any 
dyes the material must always be completely 
saturated with water before dipping it. Stir and 
turn the goods constantly while it is in the bath, 
and avoid having any of it stay above the sur- 
face. Part of the dyeing process, when using 
sulphur dyes, takes place after the goods have 
been removed from the bath and come in contact 
with the air. It is then that the color oxidizes 
and "sets." But this must not happen to any 
part of it while the goods are still in the bath, or 
dyeing may be uneven. 

When the desired shade is obtained (the color 
is always much darker as the stuff comes from 
the bath than it will finally be, so allowance 
must be made), quickly wring out all the liquid 
possible, shake it, and allow it to hang in the air 
for half an hour. Then boil it in a weak solution 
of some mild soap until all the excess color has 
been removed. To make the weak soap solution 
shave a small cake of soap into a quart of hot 
water and allow it to boil slowly until the soap is 



BATIK DYEING 163 

dissolved. Then pour it into about three gallons 
of water for the after-boiling. If more water is 
needed increase the quantity of soap propor- 
tionately. The wax will also boil out, but it may 
be necessary to change the water several times 
as the wax is discharged. The used wax can be 
collected again by saving the water of the after- 
boiling, allowing it to cool, and straining off the 
wax that collects on top. 

When dyeing silk with sulphur dyes, the fiber 
can be protected against the alkaline in the bath 
if some glucose or syrup is added to the liquid, 
about one cup of syrup to a gallon of water that 
contains one tablespoonful of washing-soda in 
solution. Alkalines are apt to impair animal 
fiber and make them tender. 

Wool does not dye well in a cold bath because 
the oil in it will not allow the dye to penetrate 
its fibers thoroughly except when hot. However, 
the majority of textiles that one wishes to dye in 
batik are cotton, linen, or silk, or a mixture of 
two of these. 



INDEX 



Basket-making. See Bas- 
kets. 
Basketry. See Baskets. 
Baskets: 

coiled, 1 08, 109, no, 
112. 

(diagram), 109. 

designing and forming, 
88, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, 

96, 97, 98, 99- 

dyeing and coloring, 
113, 114. 

materials used in mak- 
ing, 84, 85, 86, 87, 
88, 89, 90. 

paints and stains for 
coloring, 115, 116, 
117, 118, 119. 

polishing, 117, 118. 

tools used in making, 

94, 95. 
weaving, 92, 93, 94, 95, 

96, 97, 98. 

(diagram), 97. 

Batik work, 156, 157, 158, 

159, 160, 161, 162, 

163. 
Bed linen. See Linen. 
Bedsteads, caning, 82, 83. 
Binder, cane. See Cane and 

caning. 
Bleaching linen, 16, 17. See 

also Linen. 



Braided rugs, 130. See also 
Rugs and rug-making. 

Breakfast linen, 23, 31. See 
also Linen. 

Buttonhole embroidery 
stitch. See Button- 
holing. 

Buttonholes on fine linen, 

58, 59- 
Buttonholing, 29, 30, 56, 57. 

Candle and lamp shades: 
making and decorating, 

152, 153, 154, 155. 
of cane, 100, 101, 102, 

103, 104. 
lining, 105, 106, 

107. 
weaving (diagram), 

103. 
Cane and caning: 

candle-shades, lining, 

105, 106, 107. 
candle-shades, weaving 

and making, 100, 101, 

102, 103, 104. 

(diagram), 103. 

cane binder, 77, 80, 81. 
cane binder in candle - 

shades, 100. 

(diagram), 101. 

cane used in basketry, 

87. 



1 66 



HOME CRAFTS 



caning bedsteads, 82, 

83. 

caning chairs, 76, 77, 
78, 79, 80, 81. 

(diagram), 80. 

caning trays, 81, 82. 
caning window - seat, 

83- 

Cardboard looms. See 

Looms. 
Carpet-weaving. See Rugs 

and rug-making. 
Catch-stitch, 29, 32. 
Chair seats: 

cane, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 

81. 
rush, 70, 71, ^2, 74. 

(diagram), 73. 

Coiled basket, 108, 109, no, 
112. 

(diagram), 109. 

Color, in designing fancy 

articles, 144, 145. 
Colored damask, 50. See 

also Linen. 
Coloring baskets, 113, 114. 
Coloring fancy articles. See 

Fancy articles. 
Colors used in batik-dyeing, 

161. 
Cotton sheeting, 15. See 

also Linen. 
Crochet : 

crocheted initial in sets, 

28, 29. 
crocheted rugs, 132. 
See also Linen; rugs 
and rug-making. 
Cross-stitching on linen, 28. 
Cutting linen, 37. 
Cutting- table, 5. 

substitutes, 5. See also 
Sewing-room. 



Damask, 17. 

colored, 50. See also 

Linen. 
Darning-floss, 42. See also 

Linen. 
Darning linen, 41, 42, 43, 44. 

(diagram), 51. 

Designing baskets, 88, 89. 

See also Baskets. 
Dish-towels, 39, 40. See also 

Linen. 
Doilies, 23, 24. See also 

Linen. 
Dress linens, 33. See also 

Linen. 
Drop-shelf cutting-table, 5. 

See also Sewing-room. 
Dyeing baskets, 113, 114. 

See also Baskets. 
Dyeing, batik, 156, 157, 158, 

159, 160, 161, 162, 

163. 
Dyeing materials for rug- 
making, 120, 121, 

122, 123, 124, 125, 
126, 127, 128, 129. 
See also Rugs and 
rug-making. 

Dyes: 

sulphur, 163. 

used in basket-coloring, 

115, 116. 
used in batik- work, 160, 

161, 163. 
used in coloring rugs, 

123, 124, 125. 

Electric iron. See Ironing- 
board. 
Embroidery stitches: 

buttonholing, 29, 30, 

56, 57. 
catch-stitch, 29, 32. 



INDEX 



167 



cross-stitch, 28. 
etching-stitch, 28. 
feather-stitch, 29. 

(diagram), 31. 

household stitch, 29. 
Italian hemstitching, 32. 

(diagram), 34. 

joinery stitches, 57. 

(diagram), 54. 

Kensington-stitch, 28, 

29, 30. 

(diagram), 32. 

open-seam stitch (dia- 
gram), 54, 57. 
overhanding stitch, 38. 
satin-stitch, 29. 
Venetian ladder stitch, 

33, 34, 57- 

(diagram), 57. 

whip-stitch, 36. 
Etching-stitch on linen, 28. 

Fancy articles, coloring and 
designing, 144, 145, 
147, 150, 151, 152, 

153, 154. 

Feather-stitching, 29. 
-(diagram), 31. 

Filet crochet initials, 28, 29. 
See also Linen. 

Flats, used in basketry, 87. 
See also Baskets. 

Floor of sewing-room, 6, 9. 
Seealso Sewing-room. 

Floss for darning. See Darn- 
ing-floss; linen forms, 
for gown, 3, 4. 
for waist, 4. 

French damask. See Dam- 
ask. 

Gas iron. See Ironing-board. 
Gown form, 3, 4. 



Grass mats, in. 

Grasses, used in basketry, 
108, 109, no, in, 
112. See also Baskets. 

Guest towels, 20. See also 
Linen. 

Hedge tear (in linen), 43. 

See also Linen. 
Hemming linen, 34, 35, 36, 

37, 38, 39- 

(diagram), 37, 38. 

See also Linen. 

Hole-darning (in linen), 41, 
42. See also Linen. 

Home sewing-room, 1, 2. 

Hooked rug, 133, 134. See 
also Rugs and rug- 
making. 

Household linens. See Linen. 

Household stitches, 29. See 
also Linen. 

Initials and monograms. See 
Monograms and in- 
itials. 

Inserting lace and medal- 
lions (in linen), 35, 36. 

Irish linen, 18, 19: See also 
Linen. 

Iron, electric. See Ironing- 
board. 

Iron, gas. See Ironing- 
board. 

Ironing-board: 

(diagram), 2. 

how to fasten to wall, 3. 

Italian hemstitching, 32. 
(diagram), 34. 

Japanned paint, how to use, 
147. See also Paint 
supplies. 



1 68 HOME CRAFTS 

Javelle water, how to make, Looms (hand-made) f 135, 

16, 17. 136, .137, 138. 

Joinery stitches, 57. (diagram), 137. See 

(diagram), 54. also Weaving. 

Luncheon-cloths, 24. See 
Kensington-stitch, 28, 29, 30. also Linen. 

(diagram), 32. 

Kitchen linen, 39, 40. See Macrame, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 
also Linen. 65, 66, 67, 68, 69. 

Knotted macrame. See (diagrams), 61, 62, 

Macrame. 64, 67, 68. 

articles made of, 66. 
Lace insertions in linen, 35, cord used for, 65, 66. 

36. See also Linen. tassels, 68, 69. 

Lace trimmings on lingerie, (diagram), 68. 

57, 58. See also Lin- Marking linen. See Em- 
gerie. broidery stitches ; lin- 

Lacquer-work, 149, 150. en. 

Lamp-shades. See Candle Materials for rug-making, 
and lamp shades. See Rugs and rug- 

Lawn mats of grasses, ill. making. , 

Linen: Materials for weaving. See 
bleaching, 16, 17. Weaving, 

buying, selecting, and Mats: 

testing, 14, 15, 16, 17, lawn, in. 

18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, porch, in. See also 

24, 25. Rugs and rug-mak- 

cutting, 37. ing. 

darning and mending, Mending linen, 41, 42, 43, 
41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 

47, 48, 49, 50, 51. 50, 51. See also 

for kitchen use, 39, 40. Linen. 

making marking, 26, Monograms and initials: 
27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 52, embroidering on linen, 

33, 34, 35, 36. 29. 

making over when transferring to new 

worn, 46, 47, 48, 49, cloths, 50. See also 

50. See also Em- Crochet; embroidery 

broidery stitches ; lin- stitches, 

gerie. Moravian linen, 17. See al- 
Lingerie, trimming and fin- so Linen. 

ishing, 52, 53, 54, 55, 

5 6 , 57, 58, 59- Napery. See Linen. 



INDEX 169 

Old bleach , linen, 19. Bee Ribbon weave in basketry. 

also Linen. See Baskets. 

Open-seam stitch (diagram) , Ruffling for lingerie, 53. 

54, 57. See also Lingerie. 

Outline stitch. See Ken- Rugs and rug-making: 

sing ton-stitch. braided, 130, 131, 132. 

Ovals, used in basketry, 87. crocheted, 132. 

See also Baskets. hooked, 133, 134. 

Overhanding stitch, 38. See preparing and dyeing 

also Hemming linen. materials for, 120, 

121, 122, 123, 124, 
Paint supplies, 145, 146, 125, 126, 127, 128, 

147, 148, 149, 152, 129, 130. 

155. Rush seats, 70, 71, 72, 74. 

Painting and coloring fancy (diagram), 73. 

articles, 144, 145, 147, substitutes for, 75. 

150, 151, 152, 153, Rushes, how to gather and 

154. cure, 70, 71. 
Paints and stains for basket- 
coloring, 115, 116, Satin-stitch, 29. 

117, 118, 119. Scalloped edges for lingerie, 
Patching linen, 44, 45, 46. 52. See also Lingerie. 

See also Linen. Sewed baskets. See Coiled 
Patterns for baskets. See baskets. 

Baskets. Sewing-machines, 10. 

Pillow-cases, 14. See also Sewing-room, 1, 2. 

Linen. equipment, 2, 11, 12, 13. 

Plaster of Paris, when to floor of, 6, 9. 

use, 4. substitutes, 7, 8, 9. 

Porch mats, of grasses, in. Sewing-screens, n, 12. 

vShades, candle and lamp, of 
Raffia used in basketry. cane, 100, 101, 102, 

See Baskets. 103, 104, 105, 106, 

Rattan used in basketry, 107. 

85, 86, 91, 92, 93. Sheets, 14, 15. See also 

See also Baskets. Linens. 

Reed used in basketry, 86, Stains. See Paints and 

87, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99- stains. 

,See also Baskets. Standard for gown form, 4. 

Rents, mending, in linen, Sulphur dyes, 163. 

42. See also Linen. 

Ribbon run (in lingerie), 53. Table linen. See Linen. 

See also Lingerie. Tear darning and mending 



170 



HOME CRAFTS 



(linen), 43, 44, 45, 46. 

See also Linen. 
Textiles used in batik-work, 

160, 161, 163. 
Tjantings, 159. See also 

batik-work. 
Toweling, 14, 19, 20. See 

also Linen. 
Trays, caned, 81, 82. 

painted, 152. 
Trefoil knot, 66, 67. 

(diagram), 67. See 

also Macrame\ 
Trimmings on lingerie, 53, 57, 

58. See also Lingerie. 
Triple weave in reed work, 

103.. 

(diagram), 103. See 

also Cane and caning. 
Turkish towels, 20. See 
also Toweling. 



Underwear. See Lingerie. 

Venetian ladder stitch, 33, 

34, 57- 
(diagram), 57. 

Waist form, 4. 

Waist pattern, how to make 

and fit, 4. 
Warp. See Looms. 
Weaving, 138, 139. 
designs, 141, 142. 
materials, 140, 141, 142. 

See also Cane and 

caning ; looms. 
Weft. See Looms. 
Whip-stitch, 36. 
Window-seat, caning, 83. 
Wood-stain colors, 116, 117. 

See also Paints and 

stains. 



THE END 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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